Getting lost
by MechaHero
Summary: Trolls and humans living on the same planet, going camping? what? unheard of. Am I really doing this? eff yeah. T just to be safe
1. Intro thing

**This happens after the game is over. Everyone is alive and in healthy/pregame condition, I'm not gonna bother about how that came to be, it just is. They all live in the same neighborhood of ugly houses, much like John's neighborhood of ugly houses. Actually no, it is John's neighborhood. Scratch that, it's not, it's very the same, but there's your visual. Anyways they all live close. Gosh. So the point is that they are going to be taking a road trip to go camping. That seems original enough, so we're going with it. LORD THIS IS A LONG AN! Ok. Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie, this story and incredibly long AN belong to me.**

_(One more thing - I know, just get to the story already- I should mention that there is a whole room mate thing going on._

_Jade/Rose/John/Dave_

_Kanaya/Vriska/Feferi_

_Nepeta/Terezi/Aradia_

_Equius/Eridan/ (they have half a house, this will be explained)_

_Sollux /Tavros/Gamzee_

_Karkat (prefers to live alone)_

_OK NOW READ!_

Sollux woke up before the sun and sat out on the porch. This new world was a lot to take in, the sun was kinder, the weather was harsher, and nights were pretty dark. All in all, things made more sense; the voices even shut the hell up after a while. He leaned back against the house and looked at the house across the street, that's where the humans live, any minute now; Rose would join him on the porch, probably toting a cup of coffee for herself and for him- if he were lucky. He had taken a liking to her; she was serious about things, not ironic or goofy like the other three.

Before coming to the new planet he had never tried the thing called coffee, and he cursed himself for it after falling in love with it. It may have even taken the place of the mind honey. No, it definitely had. Just like clockwork, Rose exited her house and stretched a bit before making her way over to Sollux, leaning on the house next to him. She duel wielded coffee cups, he smiled.

Good morning, Sollux.

Good morning Rothe.

I brought some coffee for you, I couldn't remember how you like it, so it's just black.

Black?

It's plain.

He sipped as she explained what black coffee was and almost gagged. It was awful, the expression of drinking bad coffee on his face was enough to make Rose laugh.

You might want to add sugar and cream.

Ii'll be right back.

She laughed again as he walked into the house. Inside was dark and smelled like fresh paint from the trolls putting their finishing touches on the house with their respected colors. He traveled to the kitchen and rummaged around some small pots for the sugar. Eventually he found it and added the entirety of the contents of the pot into his coffee. Surely it was good now. He gagged again as he swallowed the coffee, it was too sweet now, but at least it wasn't bitter. He went back outside to sit with Rose.

Better?

He looked over at her, sipping again, holding back a twisted face, answering her question that is was in fact better. The sun was coming up now, light touching the roofs of houses and the tops of trees. Almost simultaneously, they looked down the street towards an ugly looking house where Vriska stepped out from. She had with her Kanaya and Feferi. Fef jogged around the city for about 2 hours every morning before going for a swim. Vriska would walk over to the human house and watch tv until John woke up around noon. Kanaya would come and sit with Rose and Sollux and talk about fashion until Sollux was convinced that they were going to make him model their clothes.

Everyone else woke up later in the morning, around 9 or 10. Terezi would go to Karkat's house and try to wake him up before 3:oo, fail, and go find something else to do. Nepeta would go over to her moirail who sleeps very heavily and has nightmares often. One time, when she tried waking him up, he sprung up off of his bed, grabbed a dresser and through it against the wall, knocking half of the house into rubble… which is why Gamzee ended up having to live with Sollux and Tavros. For Tavros' convenience, a ramp was built in the front of the house. He would roll out of the house, decide there was nothing he wanted to do outside, and then roll right on back in to wake Gamzee up. John wakes up, realizes Vriska is downstairs waiting for him, and goes back to sleep for another hour before seeing what she wants. Dave will wake up 'on his own damn time' and proceed to do something cool. Jade almost always slept. Aradia usually stayed inside during the day, she didn't like the light too much. Eridan walked around a lot, hitting up bookstores and malls daily. Equius worked out a lot at a newly discovered gym (which he loved because it was filled with STRONG people). And Karkat, he kept to himself, or he tried to anyways, most of the time there would be someone naking at him about something he didn't care to listen to.

Everyone had a set routine and Sollux was sick of it. He wanted something new. Little did he know that new was about to happen.


	2. Canned Ping

**The last chapter was kind of boring, I admit to it, but the whole point of it was to make an intro out of things and (sort of) introduce everyone. Ok, so hopefully things will pick up from here. I probably should have mentioned before, everyone is now 17. Bam, it's done. I REGRET NOTHING!**

**I have another story called Wall of Ships, it's another Homestuck thingy about ships, you should go check it out, it pretty much sucks :) Homestuck belongs to Andrew Hussie.**

The place to be, or at least the place where everyone ended up before going to sleep, was the human house. Most of the trolls still had the habit of referring to homes as hives; Jade even started calling them hives from being around the trolls so often. They had been living close to each other for close to a month now and the trolls were still getting used to how humans did things. Like driving, cars were strange devices; Equius thought they were worthy opponents to his strength; however Sollux thought they were out dated.

John and Vriska were in the sitting room around the television, Gamzee was baking some pies, Aradia and Terezi were trying on clothes for Kanaya and Rose. Equius was fixing the dishwasher, Nepeta was chasing around some birds in the backyard, Feferi and Eridan were glubbing around in the pool, Dave was grilling some food, and Sollux was playing cards with Tavros and Jade. Everything was nice; no one was fighting, which was a first. Usually there was a fight every day. There would be soon though, that is to be sure. It all starts when John looks around and says

hey. has anyone seen karkat?

He looked over his shoulder at Gamzee who was leaning on the bar countertop overlooking the sitting room and the kitchen. He blinked at John for a moment before shaking his head.

He Is PrObAbLY aT hOmE.

John got up from the couch, leaving Vriska to tumble over without a prop to hold her up. She spun around and hissed at him, but he was already out the door. He walked down the street as the sun was beginning to set. As he walked towards the ugly house Karkat lived in, he wondered why he didn't like hanging out with everyone else and why was he angry all of the time. He walked up to Karkat's house cheerfully and walked in without knocking. No one ever knocked; they just assumed it was safe to enter a hive. That was John's mistake that evening.

JOHN! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?

Karkat hurled a blender in John's direction at which point he hit the deck and covered his head.

Karkat! Why aren't you ever hanging out with us?

Several more kitchen appliances flew through the air including a toaster and an oven mitt.

GET OUT JOHN, I'M FUCKING WARNING YOU

Karkat, no. Why are you so angry?

BECAUSE I DON'T LIKE YOU AND I DON'T LIKE THIS FUCKING PLANET WITH ALL THESE DOUCHE FUCKS LIVING NEXT TO ME. I'M FUCKING SICK OF IT.

Forks, spoons, cups and sponges flew at John, a couple hitting their mark. John groaned as he armed himself with a couch cushion as a shield.

Karkat, I just now had a crazy idea

I BET YOU FUCKING DID, NOW LEAVE, ASS HOLE!

But kar, it's a great idea

DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY IT WAS CRAZY?

Sometimes those are the best ideas!

Pencils, paper balls, staples, he had made his way over to the desk and was propelling his office supplies now.

Karkat! let's go camping!

Suddenly the firing stopped, John heard a couple heavy objects fall to the floor from behind the cushiony shied.

THE FUCK IS CANNED PING?

Camping, kar. It's when you go out into the wilderness and chill out in the wild.

John lowered his shield o observe Karkat's expression, now that he had been stunned into being disarmed. He looked very pissed off, yet ultimately confused as if he went to sit down in a chair that was pulled out from under him.

CAMPING

Yes. I'll tell everyone else. I have been meaning to tell you, but you're never around. Will you come back with me to our house?

YOU MEAN TO THAT HIVE FEST YOU ARE HOLDING? NO. BUT I WILL CONSIDER THIS CAMPING THING. OR WHATEVER THE FUCK IT IS.

Are you sure karkat, I think you'd have fun…

Karkat picked up a paper weight and flung it at John's chest. Quickly, John went back home to tell everyone about the camping idea. Now that he actually got Karkat to consider it, they just had to go.


	3. Convincing

**Homestuck: Andrew Hussie :: This here story: Me**

**I added quotation marks to this one because there will be a lot of dialogue going on.**

When john got back to the hive, everyone was inside (which was way too many for the little space) and talking about which movie they were going to watch, as usual, they were getting nowhere and would eventually decide on going home. John stood in the middle of everything, which was new for him, and cleared his throat, already preparing himself for the bombardment of disagreeing trolls and Dave.

"Everybody listen up."

Surprisingly enough they all shushed and began to listen. This made John nervous, but he continued anyway.

"I have this idea that we all go camping, let me explain it before you ask. CAMPING is when everyone goes out into the wilderness and just chills outside for a couple of days. Any questions so far?"

Dave, as predicted, decided to speak his piece first.

"Yeah. Let's not go camping."

"I like this idea 0f camping. It s0unds like a trip f0r the STRONG," Equius chimed in, grinding his teeth at the end which made John shudder, but he was glad someone agreed to it.

"We will have to go on a long driving trip to get there; it will probably take all day." John said, more murmuring around the room. "We will decide on a driver and where to sit in the vehicle we are taking."

":33 what is there to do at canned ping?" Nepeta asked, tilting her head a little.

"Camping. Camp-ing. Well there is a lot to do. There is hiking, swimming, fishing, hunting, exploring, and all kinds of fun things. We just need a break from this for a while."

"Why doesn't D8ve like camping?" Vriska asked, trying to cut down Dave's ego.

"Fucking bugs." answered Dave.

Rose and Kanaya looked at each other. "Does That Mean There Will Be Dirt And Plants Too?" asked Kanaya, gripping onto her skirt.

"There will be dirt and also plants, but we will have tents so we will be relatively clean. Anything else?"

John looked around for any hands. "Alright then, if you want to go, raise your hand." He raised his hand along with Equius, Nepeta, Vriska, Jade, Gamzee, Terezi, Feferi, and Eridan. On the other hand, Sollux, Dave, Rose, Kanaya, Tavros and Aradia didn't want to go. It looked like some bribing was needed.

"Sollux, why don't you want to go?" John spoke up finally. Sollux had his arms crossed, "II would be cut off from technology, Dave tell2 me, and there would be no coffee." John glared at Dave who looked aloof at the whole situation. "That is partially true; there would be no service or connection out there, so technology would be almost useless. However, there will be coffee. Come on, at least think about it." He pleaded, glaring at Dave again; he really wanted everyone to go, but Dave was gonna ruin it. He looked over at Rose and Kanaya. They were super close and if he could get one to go, the other one would go too, but who to convince, and how.

"Kanaya, why won't you go?"

"I Will Ruin My Clothes, John; I Don't Want To Ruin Them."

"There are some clothes you can wear that are specifically for camping, Rose knows that. Just wear jeans, hiking boots, and a shirt" John puffed, convincing trolls to go camping was exhausting. Maybe he should have just said fuck it and let them stay in their hives while the rest of them go off on a crazy wild adventure.

"Aradia?" John adverted his glance to her and she only blinked at him. "Why don't you want to go?" "It will be t00 bright," she almost whispered. Sometimes it pissed him off how mysterious she was. "There will be plenty of shade and it will be even darker at night than it is here."

He looked around, he almost didn't even want to bother, out of all of them he probably had the best reason for not wanting to go. Once John's eyes fell over him, he answered, not even waiting for the question. "i AM NOT SURE i'LL UH, bE ABLE TO GET AROUND VERY WELL." John wanted to smile out of pity, but he was already up to his ears in annoyances. "There aren't any stairs, most of the ground is flat or it goes on a slant, like a ramp, I am sure you'll be fine."

John answered in relief; that was the last of them. Hopefully they all wanted to go now. He didn't bother with Strider, there were going to be bugs and he was going to be a stubborn douche friend. He looked around for a moment and then sighed. "We will get packing tomorrow and leave on Friday." He plopped down on the couch and heaved out a heavier sigh. He wasn't sure why that whole thing stressed him out so, but it did. Not much later, everyone began dispersing to their ugly houses and hives.

John's eyes glazed over as he sat on his bed after removing his glasses. Tomorrow he would start packing, tomorrow was Thursday. He just wanted to get out of the block for a couple days. Finally he was able to bring himself to sleep.

**Hey guys, just wanted to nak a bit. I do enjoy writing this thing, but I become oh so weary. What I would like, scratch that, what I would LOVE is if I could get some reviews from you. oh please! Bitte! Por favor! Ohhh thank you ^_^**


	4. Beep beep meow

**I am having fun with this one. Oh so much fun hahaha…. I think now I will switch over to second person, don't go biting my head off for this, if it doesn't grab you the right way let me know. That's what the review thingy thing is for. Besides, I might seriously hate how this comes out and decide not to do it again, which is likely. We'll see.**

**Homestuck: Andrew Hussie :: le story: me**

**bum Bum BUMMMM**

SHREW! BE KARKAT VANTAS!

Done. You are now Karkat Vantas and your house is a damn mess from your recent battle with John. What the hell was his problem anyway? No one seems to respect your decision to seclude yourself in the horridly ugly hive you're forced to live in. Everything was wrong lately, his desire to be around anyone was pretty much gone, he wanted his hive back, he hated the smell of the foul plant growing around his new hive, it was bright out ALL OF THE GOG DAMN TIME, and John fucking Egbert lived next to you. You begin punching hole in a closet door as an output for your anger.

Eventually he sat down at his computer desk and opened the chat client. That was another thing; the chat client was pesterchum which was highly fucking annoying. You growl and tap your fingers rhythmically on the desk, waiting for Sollux to get online. While you wait, you look around the ugly hive. There are several holes in the walls and doors from multiple occasions of being pissed the fuck off. The wallpaper was ugly and yellow, the carpet was ugly and white, and there were ugly pictures of ugly plants hung on the wall. Noticing all of these horridly ugly things in your hive makes your finger tapping more and more intense. Suddenly all you could hear was the sound of the tapping, the whirring of the ceiling fan, the ticking of the clock, all of those things were loud and drowning out reality. You look around in a panic and feel your heart rate speed up suddenly and ear-ringing ding split through all of the sound, everything goes quiet again, you take a deep breath. You are Karkat Vantas and you are prone to anxiety attacks.

You look at your computer and identify the dinging as someone pestering you. You suppose that concept makes sense as opposed to the earth term of trolling, but who can it be?

- twinArmageddons [TA] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG] at 8:15 pm -

CG: ABOUT FUCKING TIME THOLLUX!

TA: jeez KK. ii am 2o glad we can talk liike two regular trolls who are madly iin hate wiith each other

CG: FUCK YOU AND YOUR CALMNESS, TWINFUCK

TA: whoa

TA: what are you 2o up2et about even?

CG: IS IT NOT COMMON ENOUGH FOR ME TO BE ALWAYS FUCKING UPPSET THAT YOU FEEL COMPELLED TO FUCKING ASK ME WHY I AM SO UPSET? FUCK! CAN'T A GUY BE PISSED OFF FOR THE SAKE OF HAVING SHITTY FRIENDS?

TA: hmm

TA: what do you want KK

CG: I WANT TO HAVE THE TROLLIAN CHAT BACK

CG: AT THE VERY GOG DAMN LEAST

CG: CAN YOU DO THAT?

CG: IS THAT A SIMPLE ENOUGH COMMAND?

You tap at your desk again and glare furiously at the small text that states that Sollux is typing. What a stupid fucking thing, what difference does it make whether or not you know that asshole is typing.

TA: ii don't thiink that can be done KK

CG: FUCK

CG: YOURE BEING FUCKING IRONIC AREN'T YOU

CG: YOU'VE BEEN AROUND THAT SHOW OFF COOL KID TOO OFTEN AND NOW YOU'RE BEING FUCKING IRONIC

CG: WELL FUCK YOU AND YOUR SARCASM.

TA: ii am being 2eriious KK

TA: there ii2n't even anything anywhere 2uggestiing that troliian ii2 even a thiing.

CG: WHAT ARE YOU TELLING ME

TA: ii am telliing you that you're goiing to have two settle wiith pe2terchum.

CG: 223to lvh;prwnh

TA: KK?

You bang your head against the keyboard, which didn't feel as satisfying as you would have liked it to be. You're pretty sure you broke the keyboard. As you look down at the mess, you notice caps lock is gone and off, along with a shift key and the 'j' key. Just as well, you never used that letter anyway.

CG: gog dammit

CG: i broke the fuck out of my keyboard.

CG: however i am still fucking yelling at you fuck head.

TA: thii2 iis actually kiind of niic2 KK.

TA: you are all calm and 2hiit.

TA: you can put the cap2 key back on you know

You scour the ground and desk for that damn key and find it. You end up putting the 'j' and caps keys in upside down, and the shift key is never found. Fuck it; at least you have caps again.

CG: I DIDN'T NEED YOUR HELP

CG: I AM NOT A WRIGGLER

CG: I KNOW THESE THINGS SO FUCK YOU!

- carcinoGeneticist [CG] ceased pestering twinArmageddons [TA] at 8:31pm -

Now that you are all done being thoroughly agitated with all kinds of things, you decide it is safe to venture outside. The entire hullabaloo that was going on about an hour ago has died down. A few trolls are wandering around the block or sitting on porches. Whatever. You look around your front yard, making sure no one was going to hassle you about anything, and make the decision to sit on your front steps. Cautiously you look at everyone still outside, it looks like no one has noticed you yet. You drop your guard. Then out of the sky, it seems, you get pounced off of your porch and into a bush.

WHAT THE FUCK! I CAN'T EVEN SIT OUTSIDE FOR TWO FUCKING SECONDS!

You look around for Nepeta in a ferocious manner, flailing your arms and holding back swears and growls. As you lift yourself from the bush (which is the aforementioned ugly-smelling plant) and fling yourself around in search of the cat troll. There she was licking the back of her hand, sitting where you previously sat.

NEPETA! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT POUNCING ME?

She looks up at you shyly and backed up off the porch

:33 to not to…

You groan and hold back more swears and insults as you sit down and brush yourself off.

:33 are you going camping with us, karkitty?

Camping… oh that's right, that silly little trip John wanted to go on. That could be your chance to get away from everybody. It could be your only shot.

MAYBE.

**Whoops! Oh gosh, this one was really long and I didn't mean for it to be. I wanted to capture Karkat in his (what I believe anyway) real life, always pissed off state and why he is always so quick to hate everything. Maybe I've got it, maybe I don't. WHAT DO YOU COOL KIDS THINK?**


	5. mysterious tufty things

**Since I can't sleep like a real person, I'm just gonna keep on typing. I love the response I'm getting for this story; it makes me all giddy and dumb on the inside. I have decided to keep on using second person because I feel like it. Eventually when I get the ball rolling on this adventure I will switch over to third person again. Umm what else? I always feel like I have more to say when I'm done with these things. Ah well. MOVING ON THEN!**

**I do not own Homestuck. That is all I have to say about that.**

bE tAVROS. i MEAN UH, iF YOU WANT TO…

Fair enough. You are now Tavros Nitram and you cannot sleep. You are well aware that it is late and that tomorrow is the alleged packing day for the even more so alleged road trip day for the more or less alleged camping week. You look at the ceiling from your bed, it looks boring and uneventful. You make a mental note to yourself to make time to put something less boring and uneventful up there.

Something thumps around in the hallway and it causes your ears to perk up a bit. You sit up, balancing yourself on your elbows and look into the hallway. Normally you would be hiding under the blanket, but you are hoping it is Gamzee. You wait for a while, keeping a steady glare into the hall, but nothing crosses your line of sight. Eyes sore from not blinking for a couple minutes, you lay down, freeing your arms to rub your eyes.

hEy TaVbRo

You jump slightly at the sound of Gamzee's low voice, but find it comforting that he came to you.

uH, hI GAMZEE

You smile up at him weakly, feeling tiredness finally finding you. He sits on your nightstand and rubs your chest. Usually, this small action helps you sleep, but you were expecting something more from him. You hold your breath for a moment then just come out and ask.

gAMZEE. wILL YOU UH, sLEEP IN HERE TONIGHT?

He grins at you with that sloppy grin that could only be Gamzee's and stops rubbing your chest.

HaViNg A hArD tImE sLeEpInG?

You nod, feeling your face flush with rust-colored warmth. Gamzee's grin grew wider.

nOw ThAt'S a FuCkInG mIrAcLe. I cAmE iN hErE bEcAuSe I cOuLdN't SlEeP eItHeR. mInD iF i SlEeP nExT tO yOu?

i WOULD REALLY UH, lIKE IF YOU DID gAMZEE }:)

Gamzee was practically beaming. When he had moved in with you and Sollux, he had told you he was flushed for you, you never really got up the courage to say it back, but he knew how you felt beyond words. He bounded over you and lay between you and the wall. It isn't long before he curls himself around you and the two of you fall asleep. You are Tavros Nitram and Gamzee is pretty much the best thing that has ever happened to you.

The next morning you awake to the sun coming through your window and a low rumbling sound that is Gamzee's breathing. You smile and shyly kiss him on the forehead; he stirs in his sleep and then rolls over violently to avoid the sun. Laughing quietly, you roll out of bed and attempt to commandeer your four-wheeled device. Most mornings this proves to be quite a challenge, to your grief this morning is no exception and you fall to the ground landing on your side. You grunt a little bit, bruises heal all the time, but that doesn't stop them from showing up, and there would definitely be one showing up sooner or later.

Eventually you get yourself situated in your chair and wheel yourself out of your room and into the sitting room. Sollux has already started packing and by the looks of it, would be done shortly.

Oh, good morniing Tav.

uH, gOOD MORNING sOLLUX. sO YOU ARE GOING IN THE CANNED PING TRIP THEN?

Yeah. ii gue22 iit could be fun.

You nodded, still unsure if you really wanted to go or not, Gamzee was going, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. You look out the window that overlooks the block of ugly hives. The sun was coming and going behind fluffy patches in the sky.

sOLLUX, WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS?

Sollux put down his check list and joined you at the window, looking up as you gestured to the patches. He lowered his glasses then raised them back onto his face.

ii am not 2ure, but they look liike 2omethiing Karkat would ju2t hate.

He laughed a bit as he returned to checking off items on his list. You continue marveling at the puffy things only to be distracted by the front door opening. You shoot a glare at Terezi who comes very close to busting the door down.

COM3 QU1CK! F3F3R1 1S H4V1NG 4 M3LTDOWN!

Sollux sighed heavily and bolted out the door, followed by Terezi. What was Fef even flipping her fins over? Maybe she found a boulder in her bed like that faerie tale you remember reading when a princess finds a boulder under 102 mattresses. You laugh to yourself but hope everything is ok; in the meantime, you are once again pulled to the distraction of those puffy tuft things floating over the world. You decide to ask one of the humans since Gamzee would just tell you they were miracles not meant to be understood. While you agreed with him about them being miracles, you were really curious about them.

You rolled out of the hive, leaving the door open behind you, and go in search for one of the humans. Not much later you find Rose who makes you nervous to talk to because she has a way about burrowing into the mind. You quickly decide not to take your chances, and settle for Jade who just so happened to enter the room..

hI jADE.

Hi Tavvy :)

wHAT ARE THOSE, uH, fLOATY THINGS OUTSIDE?

She wrinkled her nose as she usually did when in thought.

I'm not sure what you're talking about :C

i'LL SHOW YOU.

She follows you outside where you point up to the tufty things which seemed to have multiplied. This worries you greatly seeing as you're not sure what they are. She giggles which makes you nervous, but less worried.

Those are clouds, silly. They carry rain.

rAIN…

She laughed again.

You'll see when it rains. Everything gets all wet.

This sounded dangerous, but she didn't seem too worried about it. Now that you had your questions answered and your curiosity quenched, you head back to the hive. You suppose going on the canned ping trip would get you as far away as possible from the **clouds** and the **rain** and the **wet. **You weren't sure you wanted to be anywhere near this rain thing. You began packing as Gamzee started waking up. He looked pleased that you were going on the canned ping trip.

**I am not quite sure what I was aiming at here (it was kind of a filler. I feel like an ass for doing that to you guys). Don't worry folks; I know this is taking forever to get into the swing of things and for this whole 'plot' thing to actually happen. But. I promise it will happen. And when it does I will stop groveling like a nincompoop. Maybe. Actually I will still probably whine about how much I love when you guys and gals review. Ok. I've said my piece now it's your turn! Review! hehehehe :D**


	6. Not even coffee can save you

**To those of you who decided to head my warning and just completely jump ship from the last chapter, I made sure to update super quick just for you :3 basically, as a recap of sorts, there was a pairing between Eridan and Feferi because I feel like they are just meant to be. Eventually. If he didn't go on a murderous rampage in the actual comic he would have EVENTUALLY got the girl. Ah pues. So moving on from that, in which I promise you missed nothing of importance, we end up here, finally, on the day of reckoning. Please note that yes they can drive, don't you dare try arguing that point with me, I have already made it a done deal. Now shush, the movie is starting.**

**I do not own Homestuck.**

The vehicle of choice was a mini bus (or what some of you may call a tour bus). Everyone began lugging their camping packs out of their hives and towards the bus. Equius was loading everything into the side compartments of the bus and Dave was planning on driving since he really didn't care if he did or not and everyone else just didn't want to. Karkat was the last one out of his hive which was a surprise to everyone, considering they weren't sure if he was coming or not. As he pulled his bag over to Equius, they shared a moment of glaring at each other, the feeling of contempt pouring over them. At some point Nepeta came over to check on Equius and make sure he was being good. She saw them having a stare down and decided to intervene before things got unbearable for the entire party.

:33 oh Karkat, you're coming too?

Karkat tore his eyes away from Equius' almost too literally to look at Nepeta who was practically ogling at him. This made him smirk because he knew that she knew how angry her talking to him made her moirail.

YES. I HAVE DECIDED TO COME ALONG ON THIS TRIP WITH THE INSUFERABLE PRICKS AND YOU.

The way he separated her from the insufferable pricks made her gleeful and Equius super irate. Karkat shot Equius a ball busting look that said 'I double dare you to hit me' before boarding the mini bus. Equius would have broken something if he didn't storm off in another direction to go break something else. John examined Karkat's bag that was lying next to the bus and looked around for Equius. The fact that he wasn't doing the job that he asked Gamzee to tell him to do was very annoying. He went ahead and put the bag in one of the open compartments before closing all of them and hopping on the bus.

Is everyone here?

John asked before looking around, later realizing Equius was missing.

Jegus….

He was about to go out looking for him when he suddenly appeared at the doorway of the bus.

Can you ladies hurry up and sit down? I have a lot of driving to do.

Dave sipped from a tall coffee thermos and looked straight ahead. As john and Equius took their seats Dave flipped a switch to close the door. He put on what looked like a captain's hat and pulled a mic down for the PA system; as he spoke his voice was heard throughout the bus.

"This is captain strider speaking. In a few short moments we're gonna drive the fuck out of here and take off for some pretty chill mountains. If any of you douche bags feel like completely ruining my fucking day, I will pull over and just not drive. So, here's the rules. Don't throw anything, seriously, that will piss me off. Don't feel like you need to hold obnoxiously loud conversations with the dude next to you. I don't care if you walk around, just don't come up here. I guess that's it, just don't be stupid and we'll have all kinds of fun."

He gave a deep sigh before hanging up the mic and starting up the bus. He clearly did not want to drive and he really didn't want to go camping. He left the engine running for a second while gathering his bearings and pulling away from the block of ugly houses.

**I am trying to decide whether or not I will jump to the actual getting there, or if I will go over how terribad the trip was for everybody. REVIEW! I know this one was super short, I just wanted to get a ball before we can get it rolling (see what I did there? Harhaarhar). Anyways, what do you think, should I skip, or not skip?**


	7. The terribad journey

**Thou doth not owneth Homestuck**

**Sweet jegus! Over 500 hits in 3 days? Hehe this is exciting. As a reward of sorts, I have decided to continue on with the terribad road trip taking place and let you witness firsthand the experiences of these individuals. Bluh. Now if only I could get 500 reviews… :)**

Driving out of the city was a complete cluster fuck. Nepeta discovered she was very susceptible to car sickness. She began hacking all over the place, spitting up fur balls and breakfast. This of course pissed Dave the fuck off, rendering him to pull over and have someone 'clean the shit up before he could smell it'. Poor Aradia was the victim of being yacked upon and decided to quickly change in the back of the bus, not realizing that Dave could see her in the rearview mirror.

That was the beginning of the drive. As they got onto the freeway, and finally managed to tie down Nepeta, things got bad again. Someone cut Dave off, forcing him to swerve, sending Karkat flying across the bus into Eridan. Eridan who had been sleeping, proceeded to choke Karkat who was swinging his arms at Eridan's face in defense. Dave saw all of this going on so he slammed on the brakes, propelling the fighting trolls to the ground. He laughed hoarsely and sped up again. They glared at each other before going back to their seats.

HOW BOUT YOU LEARN HOW TO DRIVE, YOU SHOW OFF DOUCHE!

Karkat scowled, but Dave was un phased by the shouting and continued to drive. It soon began to rain which made Tavros begin to whine. Luckily he was sitting next to Gamzee who buried Tavros' face into his chest.

iTs Ok MoThErFuCkEr. ItS jUsT wEt StUfF aLl uP aNd FaLlInG oUt Of ThE sKy.

Tavros continued to whimper, but found comfort with Gamzee shooshing him. This whimpering however annoyed everyone else except Gamzee. The annoyance was so intense of a sound, in fact, that it kick started Karkat's anxiety problems. The sound of Tavros whimpering combined with John's rambling to Vriska about the woods along with the bus driving over the lane dividing bumps every other second was putting him on edge. This was a potentially dangerous situation for everyone around him. However all of this was practically silenced when he heard Terezi humming. He could never understand how she could be so peaceful with all of this shit going on.

She watched him watch her, or at least it looked like she was watching. Maybe she was just comfortable facing him at the moment. Then she licked him and he elbowed her. She just ruined things for him sometimes.

K4RKL3S. TRY 3NJOY1NG TH3 SCEN4RY. 1 4M SUR3 1T'S B34UT1FUL.

SHUT UP YOU'RE IRRITATING.

She cackled and snuggled up against him, she was sure that irritated him even more, but it didn't. He didn't push her away, he just let it happen. They were definitely in redrom relationship, but it wasn't a very passionate one.

Equius sat by himself, having Nepeta removed from his side. He was saddened by this; he liked having her around however he didn't show it. He looked back at her sitting alone; she had a blind fold on and was holding a bottle of water. Poor thing, he got up and sat next to her. Nepeta's ears perked as he sat down.

Are y0u feeling better?

He almost whispered, not wanting to startle her or be heard sounding affectionate.

:33 I guess so. Rose purromised I would feel better if I couldn't see anything.

He nodded. It was true; at least she wasn't still throwing up. He didn't like seeing her in pain or sick like that. He wrapped his arm around her as lightly as he could without squishing her. He wanted to make her feel better if he could. He cared very much about her because in a sense all they had was each other. She leaned against him and purred quietly. For about an hour at this point, everyone was quiet.

Soon after half of the passengers had gone to sleep, Dave pulled off the road and began the decent into a mountainous valley. At this point, the path was mostly dirt and gravel and matched with turns and bumps. Nepeta began vomiting again, Aradia looked very scared, and Dave was laughing like a mad man in charge of a renegade bus down a mountain. After another 10 minutes or so of constant driving at high speeds around sharp turns and nearly capsizing on several occasions the bus came to a halt in a large grassy clearing. Everyone took a huge breath of relief, they had finally made it.

**And now, ladies and gentlemen, the adventure begins. No one knows just what to expect in the wilderness of this new planet. Perhaps there are dinosaurs, maybe hoards of zombies, maybe even giant bugs? Mwahahahaha! The suspense is almost too much! Stay tuned for our next exciting episode of Getting Lost!**


	8. The old 'I drove, so you unload' trick

**So now we are in the woods. I am going to be relatively wishy washy on the description of things, just to fit more story into this chapter. The more detail, the less story, I am sure this makes sense somehow. Anyway, I dedicate this one to my platonic hate towards camping and hope some of you can relate to my disposition towards it. I do not own Homestuck**

**Oh! Almost forgot, there will be two-person tents involved. Just because the characters are paired in the tents does NOT make them shipped together or an actual pairing, unless it is an obvious pairing.**

"This is your captain speaking. Everyone get out and take your shit with you."

Dave sat back in his seat and cranked up the air conditioner. A few of the trolls stirred, just waking up and stretching their limbs. Equius removed the blindfold from Nepeta who had to blink ferociously to get used to the light. While it had been raining on the way there, the sun was out and shining merrily on the opening where they were expected to set up camp.

The first thing to tackle was setting up the tents. There were 8 two-man tents, each a different color. The struggle here was putting two people to a tent. (Let me just lay it out for you)

Dave was with Jade, John was with Vriska, Rose was with Kanaya, Karkat was with Terezi, Feferi was with Eridan, Sollux was with Aradia, Equius was with Nepeta, and Tavros was with Gamzee.

The trolls, never having set up a tent before, were having extreme difficulty assembling their tents. Karkat would have flat out refused to set up his tent, except that would mean that Terezi would have to set it up, which ultimately sounded like a terrible idea. Jade seemed to be a pro at setting up tents and didn't even need Dave's help. Feferi and Eridan stared hopelessly at the mass of ugly material and poles that lie on the ground, not even sure if they needed a tent and hoping there was water nearby. Rose and Kanaya got their tent up using teamwork, a skill most of the other teams (which they called themselves) lacked. Sollux and Aradia got their tent up quick, the night before he had stayed up doing some last minute upgrades making it decompress and compress with the press of a button (which Karkat swore up and down was cheating). Equius and Nepeta were between getting the tent up and breaking it and knocking it down all over again. He would build it up, come close to breaking a pole, let Nepeta handle the job and then she would pounce upon the tent, knocking it down again. Gamzee was having the time of his life, marveling at how the poles "aLl Up AnD jUsT fIt" when they extended. Tavros was helping him stay on track, but every now and then Gamzee would just flip out. Vriska almost convinced John not to set up a tent at all, claiming that "8y not setting up 8 tent, they would 8e the fast8st" however John had been camping before and knew from experience that having a tent was the way to go.

Eventually (about an hour later) all of the tents were up and packed with sleeping bags and bags they brought from the hive block. Dave, at that point, left the bus and entered his tent and was not seen for the rest of the day. After looking at the good job they had done, Nepeta bounded over to John.

:33 what are we suppawsed to do now?

John looked at her slowly and she beamed back at him. It was still taking some getting used to that she was so much like a cat.

Well now... now we look for firewood.

:33 firewood?

Yes. For fires.

She tilted her head and pounced off back toward Equius. She must have relayed the message because she and he were hiking off into the wooded area most likely in search of firewood. John thought this was fantastic and things were getting done. However, he wasn't sure what they were going to do for food. He decided he was going to be leader of this whole camping thing and made a huge announcement.

In order to get things done and to have fun doing them, I suggest that we all split into teams of two. The person you will be sharing a tent with is your teammate. We need someone to find and bring back fire wood; Equius and Nepeta are already looking for it. We need a team to find a water source. We need a team to hunt and bring back food. We need a team to cook that food. We need a team to clear an area for a fire. We need a team to build and maintain that fire. We need a team to map out the area and we need a team to keep track of everything and stay at the camp to make sure no marauders come around.

He looked around, hopeful that everything would sort itself out and no two teams would want the same job. Unfortunately, he forgot how stubborn and strong-willed trolls were. Both Karkat and Dave wanted to stay at camp. Both Jade and Vriska wanted to hunt. Both Rose and Aradia wanted to build the fire. Some were easier; Eridan and Fef wanted to find the water, and Gamzee and Tavros were fine with exploring the area. Others were torn; Kanaya wanted to cook and Sollux was fine with clearing the area and Terezi and John were fine doing whatever. (Let me lay out the teams and the tasks for you)

Dave and Jade stay at camp (this was decided after Dave argued by saying "well I drove here, I have privileges"). Vriska and John were to hunt, seeing as there was no longer any competition for the task. Rose and Kanaya got build and maintain the fire and would take turns with Sollux and Aradia after the two of them cleared the area. Feferi and Eridan went off to find the water supply. Gamzee and Tavros settled on cooking since Terezi and Karkat claimed to be terrible cooks and they got to explore the area. Now that this was decided, they all went off in opposite directions in order to complete their task, except Dave who just stayed in his tent. Jade didn't like having to keep watch on a campsite that was obviously too far away from civilization to get hit by marauders. She pouted as she sat around, not getting to do anything until someone came back.

**Poor Jade. Again, I wanted to get more story in on this one and probably the next one, but I promise the next one will have better detail since it will cover what is going on with the tasks at hand. Hrrmnrmrm. Once again, I seem to have forgotten what I was going to put down here. Old age will be the death of me. As always, REVIEW! Make me a happy hero!**


	9. This is NOT a trap

**Mr./Ms. Reviewer: Sollux and Aradia, y u no speak?**

**Me: silly goose, they sp- GREAT SCOTT! YOU'RE RIGHT! D:**

**And from what I have been reading, it appears the tent teams are also the ideal pairs. And so, I will take charge on this.**

**I do not own Homestuck**

Sollux and Aradia were getting rid of grass and pinecones and branches and everything away from where they were going to put the fire pit. Aradia quite like pinecones, there was something about their designs that made her happy. Sollux on the other hand didn't have an interest in them and just plucked them from the ground and flung them into the forest. Aradia furrowed her brow and tugged at his shirt.

D0n't thr0w th0se

Throw what?

He looked confused and threw one while looking at her.

St0p it!

Oh you mean the2e.

Yes, s0llux, th0se!

She laughed a little and he smiled. He picked up another one and held it over his head, keeping it away from her. She was struggling to capture the giant seed/nut/ thing, practically climbing up his side. Finally she gave up and crossed her arms at him. He chuckled and wrapped her up in a hug, she didn't hug him back- she was focusing on her pouting.

alriight fiine have thii2… thii2… thiing.

Thank y0u.

He handed it to her and kissed her on the forehead. She looked at him, a little taken aback. He hadn't really showed her any red feelings; she thought he only felt pale for her. A dark red blush dusted her face and she smiled at him. He didn't look at her much longer because his shyness towards the situation was almost unbearable, so he continued clearing the area. She sensed his shyness, but she would get back to him about that kiss. She smirked and threw the pinecone he handed her into the forest.

The pine cone rolled down a hill, startling Terezi who practically leaped into Karkat's arms.

WH4T W4S TH4T?

Karkat looked into the brush and couldn't see anything so he stared at Terezi, thinking she was only looking for a reason to grapple him. He smirked and wrapped his arm around her as they continued walking. For Terezi, the forest was alive with a variety of smells and sounds. The smell of pine was the most prominent and it reminded her of Kanaya. There was also the sound of birds, more birds than she had ever heard at one time, she was fascinated by this, it was almost like music. Karkat thought the birds were fucking annoying and started mocking their squawking, this only made them louder.

GOG DAMMIT! SHUT THE FUCK UP!

The birds went quiet for a moment and somewhere in the woods, a deer raised its head from eating.

T8ke the shot John

John had never killed such a gentle beast before; he fumbled with one of Jade's rifles and shook as he put his finger on the trigger.

Shoot John, shoot!

Her whispering was harsh and demanding, but John couldn't steady his aim. A loud, sound splitting shot was fired. Smoke wafted form the barrel of Vriska's rifle and the deer fell to the ground. John was frozen in place, but managed to lower the gun to his side. Vriska ruffled John's hair before going off to investigate her kill. He heard her curse loudly and saw her raise her weapon again before shooting for a second time. She had just barely missed the heart and killed it off with a shot to the head. John was shaken; he hadn't realized just how violent Vriska was. She beamed at him from standing over the deer.

The sound of the gunshots echoed throughout the mountains and valley. Feferi looked around, it sounded so close.

Look, ovver there…

Eridan grabbed Feferi's shoulder and pointed to a narrow river. It wasn't too far from the campsite, maybe a 3 minute hike up a relatively steep hill. Feferi was overjoyed to have found a river; she was getting dried out from the lack of water. They swam around for a couple minutes before heading back to camp.

Just as the sun was getting lower in the sky (about 3:00), everyone had eventually began returning to camp. Jade was happy to see the large game that Vriska and John dragged back to camp.

What 8re we supposed to do with it now?

Well now you bleed it or just kin it and cook it.

Vriska was awestruck by Jade's knowledge on debauchery and felt herself blush slightly, but fought it off. Jade stood up and walked over to her and scanned the dead hoof beast, and looked from John to Vriska.

Who killed it?

Vriska pointed to herself, looking very smug. Jade smiled widely at her.

You were very close! Nice shot :)

Vriska felt herself in danger of blushing again and looked down at the dead thing. Jade left and brought back a very long knife. Kneeling over the deer, she made quick work of making cuts into the flesh to prep for bleeding. She looked around and called Gamzee over, prompting that he strings it up to a tree. He really seemed against the idea, but he was told that it needed to be done if they wanted to eat that night.

As the animal bled out, Karkat and Terezi returned from exploring the area. Terezi smelled the blood from the kill, but was advised by Jade not to drink it lest she become very ill. She scowled and found a stump to sit on.

What did you guys find out there?

John asked Karkat before he even had the chance to sit down.

WELL FOR FUCKING STARTERS, I REMEMBER SEEING A TREE. NO WAIT, A LOT OF TREES. AND THEN A LOT OF FUCKING BIRDS. AND THERE WAS DIRT, BIG ASS FUCKING MOUNDS OF THEM. ALL OVER THE PLACE, IT'S LIKE WE'RE IN THE GOG DAMN WOODS OR SOMETHING, EGBERT.

John expected as much, they hadn't been gone exploring very long so he didn't think they'd find anything of interest.

YOU D1DN'T T3LL TH3M 4BOUT TH3 SP1K3Y STON3S, K4RKL3S!

OH. RIGHT. THERE WERE THESE SUSPICIOUS AS HELL LOOKING SPIKEY THINGS THAT FELL OUT OF THE SKY.

Sollux and Aradia, who were constructing the fire pit out of rocks, began laughing at their description of the pinecones they had been tossing into the woods. Karkat shot them a glare and they attempted to stifle their laughter until Sollux snorted loudly, starting them off laughing again. Karkat sighed madly and he took refuge in his tent.

Equius and Nepeta had being coming and going for the past few hours, bring back loads of firewood. This time, they came back with half of a tree and an armful of pinecones. While they had been out, Nepeta kept running off into the woods at every little sound she'd here. Every time she left, Equius would get very worried about her and work up a sweat over all of his worry.

Nepeta! C0me back here!

He'd shout after her and hear nothing but birds in the distance; this is when he'd begin to panic. Suddenly she'd jump out of nowhere at him and nearly give him heart attacks. He'd growl at her and pat her on the head for coming back like he asked. As soon as she had returned to his side, she'd disappear again and he'd panic all over again.

Y0u will st0p this.

She looked at him sadly as he initiated the leash and tied it to his belt loop after tying it around her waist. She meowed and complained about for about an hour which he ignored, but continued to collect wood for her to carry. He didn't want her getting lost, there were probably infinite amounts of danger out there that he didn't think she could handle. When they returned for the final time, he took the leash off of her and she pounced around wearily, feeling huge relief that she was able to go off in the boundaries of their campsite.

Eridan and Feferi returned to the campsite hand in hand, relaying their good news. They had been sent back with a water basin (since buckets and pails were out of the question) and several bottles to fill with water. They came back quickly and settled down in the shade.

About an hour later, Rose and Kanaya were trying their hand at starting the fire. This was a huge challenge because neither of them was very good with a flint. After much difficulty, they finally had a fire going and it was beginning to get dark. They celebrated with a hug and the shortest victory dance to ever have been recorded in history. Meanwhile, Jade showed Vriska how to skin, gut, clean and prepare the kill for cooking. Dave was watching all of this going on from inside of his tent and saw Vriska's face turn a deep blue. He was perplexed by this, thinking that there would be sloppy make outs going on between her and Jade any minute now. He only watched, leaving the tent was not something he wanted to do.

Tavros put the deer meat onto a long splint he had been sharpening all day. Gamzee helped him put the splint on top of a tall mount where the meat would roast after a long period of time. Finally, they had gotten away from the neighborhood of ugly houses. They had worked together to make this camping this work, they were out in the wilderness, participating with each other, like a big awkward family. It wasn't long, however for something to go wrong. Due to some freak accident, Tavros rolled backwards down a fairly steep hill. Gamzee shot off after him luckily, though it was steep, it was very small and he was perfectly fine. John grimaced, there couldn't be mistakes like that happening. Not on this trip.

**Phew! That was exciting and quite a lot of transitioning. I am so sorry I am becoming slower to update, I actually had to do something today and that sort of prevented me for typing. Well up next, I am almost sure, is going to be quite a bit of transitional fluff. However, I won't go as far to make it 'M' rated. I am not making that mistake again. On an end note, how about I get a song stuck in your pretty little heads. You should review if it actually does get stuck in your head. I do not own this song. Thanks for reading :D**

**I get knocked down, but I get up again…**


	10. Under the stars

**First off, .com/watch?v=jxjzPC3i1s0&feature=player_detailpage.**

**To the creator of this wonderfulness, I tip my cap to you and applaud enthusiastically.**

**Second, I do not own Homestuck.**

As night hung over the party like a looming thing that looms, quiet took them by storm. Dinner had been cooked, served, eaten and in a few cases, regurgitated. Gamzee passed around a couple bottles of faygo and soon, they were all talking again. Dave and Karkat eventually retreated from their tents and joined the crowd. Originally, John wanted their experience to be strictly wilderness but he decided that folding chairs would be necessary.

Karkat unfolded a chair between Tavros and Terezi and sat down with what seemed like a great amount of effort. Terezi laughed at his huffing and puffing and drubbed him on the legs with her cane. He grimaced and folded his arms tightly against his chest. He looked over at Tavros who had gouged a long metal rod through a tiny puff thing. He grimaced even more as he watched him eat it.

WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST EAT?

Tavros slowly swiveled his head towards Karkat and smiled, giving a much muffled, stuffed sort of answer.

iUM EEEING A MOSSMULLOW

Karkat frowned angrily at him for such a terrible answer and saw that almost everyone had been prodding these puff things over the fire. He thought perhaps they were a type of wild puff beast that died instantly when held over a fire.

JOHN! WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE PUFF BEASTS?

John gagged on his marshmallow, coughing laughed uncontrollably before Karkat launched a stick at him. As he caught his breath he reached into a bag and tossed a marshmallow at Karkat who cautiously avoided it, ducking out of the way and letting it fly somewhere behind him.

1T SM3LLS SW33T K4RK4T. 1 DOUBT 1TS A PUFF B34ST H3H3H3

Karkat scowled and prompted John to throw another one. He looked at the small squishy puff suspiciously, squishing it and sniffing it, making sure it wasn't going to attack him.

jUsT mOtHeRfUcKiN eAt It MoThErFuCkEr!

Gamzee had been watching him intensely and it was increasingly sillier to watch him do a full analysis of a marshmallow. Karkat was able to finally impale the little fluff and observe it some more. He watched Eridan turn his marshmallow slowly in the fire, Equius' marshmallow caught on fire and he simple blew out the flame before eating it. Karkat looked at Nepeta and saw that she was eating them cold. It would appear that there was no way of looking like a complete fool and making a mistake in eating it.

Eventually he got into the swing of roasting what he refused to call marshmallows. Most of the campers seemed to enjoy them, except Terezi. Sure they smelled sweet, but they tasted awful.

The fire was getting low and the stars were getting brighter. Aradia leaned far back in her chair and kept her eyes in space. It must have been the emptiness or vastness of space that kept her gaze so fixed. It was beautiful and endless. Sollux, who was sitting next to her, watched her get lost in the stars, eyes darting from dot to dot. He put his hand over hers and looked up as well, trying to find interest in the tiny dots. He felt her kiss him on the cheek, trying to maintain his composure, he looked right on up at the stars. Still, knowing that she was just as red for him as he was for her gave him chills; he tightened his hold on her hand. Soon she got up and crawled into the tent, hinting at Sollux for him to follow her. He would, soon, but not just yet. First, he looked around.

Dave was sitting all up in that fire, he looked as if he could freeze to death. Jade, who had went to her tent, came back with a blanket and wrapped it around him. They touched hands and he blushed like crazy, which made her giggle. Kanaya and Rose had already abandoned the fire circle for their tent and were probably asleep. Nepeta somehow was still full of energy and was bounding around the chairs, managing to knock a few over and stopping in a vacant chair next to Karkat. Equius, Terezi, Tavros, Gamzee and Eridan were already either in their tent or in the river. Karkat was fighting to stay awake and was also keeping Nepeta a good distance away from him by strategically laying the marshmallow rod on his lap, facing Nepeta.

Soon enough Karkat, Sollux, Nepeta, Feferi, Dave and Jade fled to their tents. Now it was just John and Vriska. She was pretty sure what she felt for John was merely redrom, however John felt like what they had was beyond quadrants. They often argued about it when they were alone or sharing a moment together. Tonight was different; they were just quiet and happy. Eventually, as the fire died out completely, they went into their tent and fell asleep, cozy and warm.

Aradia was almost asleep by the time Sollux lay down behind her. He was trying to be as quiet as possible, but she welcomed his presence. As he lay down, she rolled over to face him, but kept her eyes closed, as if she was asleep. He froze where he was, worried he might have woken her up, but when she didn't open her eyes, he continued to lie down and get comfortable, lying on his back and discarding his glasses. When he stopped moving, she moved closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder and placing her hand on his chest. He tensed up automatically regretting it and hoping she didn't know how incredibly nervous he was around her. He didn't care if the others cut him down or ridiculed him, but he felt that if she criticized him, he would disappear in her eyes. She snuggled even closer to him, waiting for a response. _C0me 0n s0llux, y0u can d0 it!_ Slowly he put his hand over hers, slipping his fingers through her fingers, turning his head just slightly and seeing her open her eyes. His heart sunk, he couldn't stop now, if he showed his shyness it would be the end of him for sure. With his free hand he propped her head up from under her jaw line and kissed her lightly on the lips. He closed his eyes and shyly stroked her cheek with his thumb. He felt her smile and he slowly pulled away. His heart was racing and he let his head fall back onto the ground. That was enough excitement for one night and he soon fell asleep.

Terezi and Karkat were being very quiet with their sloppy makeouts. It took a lot of energy to keep Terezi from giggling as she usually did after kissing him. He had to shoosh her every now and then whenever he'd see her grin widen. He loved that she was there whenever he slept. He was often an insomniac, but she would zap his energy quickly with these makeouts and then he'd fall asleep. The next barrier to get through was his restless leg syndrome, which was relatively new for him. Occasionally he'd stir and begin to twitch his leg, but then she'd move slightly, adjusting to his movements, and it would stop the spasms. A few minutes later she fell asleep. She was always first to fall asleep, and he was ok with it, was beautiful when she was asleep. She was calm, and wasn't grinning like a psychopath; he liked it when she looked like a normal fucking troll. Very soon after, he fell asleep, ever more so happy to have her with him. They spooned as they slept, curled against each other as if they were magnets. Just as he began to twitch, sure enough she moved against him and he stopped twitching. Sometimes he wondered if it annoyed her that there was always something wrong with him. She always seemed fine with it though, and willing to help him get through it. He was thankful, and she loved him no matter what.

Rose and Kanaya fell asleep almost immediately, but Rose would wake up often, having nightmares of terrible things. She would stay awake for a couple minutes, sometimes an hour and just stare off sleepily. On this night, Kanaya woke up a little after her. She seemed worried about Rose and rubbed her shoulders trying to comfort her into going back to sleep. Kanaya was very tired; she almost felt bags form under her eyes as Rose finally decided to lie back down. There was a sigh of relief all over her body as she lay down next to Rose. They slept close together on their backs, heads almost touching. Slowly Rose fell back asleep after further comforting from Kanaya and probably sensing her urgency to sleep soon. It didn't take long for both of them to be comfortably asleep.

Gamzee and Tavros were falling asleep while talking. Gamzee pointed up to the stars which they could see through the mesh screen top of the tent. He noted how it was a miracle for those things to stay put up there. He said that they were just little clumps of faerie dust that was stuck all up on the sky roof. Tavros smiled as he visualized Rufio sprinkling faerie dust down on them, but the dust getting stuck in the sky, preventing them all from flying. As he thought of this, his blinks became slower and longer, soon he was dreaming of flying. Gamzee smiled dully up at the sky, waiting for sleep to take him in and give him shelter.

Nepeta would move around in her sleep a lot. Equius thought that maybe she was having bad dreams or possibly even good ones. Regardless, she would roll, kick, have muscle spasms and even run on all fours in place while on her side. All of this made it difficult for Equius to sleep. As soon as she had stopped moving, he could feel himself get comfortable, but the moment she kicked he would break into nervous sweats and immediately check on her. Eventually, he fell asleep from being worn out from worry. She would continue to shake and roll and this affected his dreams. He dreamt that he was being chased by a giant Nepeta or that she was being attacked and brutally killed in front of him and there was nothing he could do about it. These dreams were so bad that he broke a tooth from clenching his teeth which woke him up quickly. He looked over at her; she was lying on her back, arms cocked back and hands curled. She so resembled a cat at that moment that he had to strongly resist the urge to reach out and scratch her belly. He failed to resist and began scratching her. She purred in her sleep, grinning slightly. He had to be gentle of course, but the fact that she was so small and docile in comparison to his largeness and vigor made his heart melt just slightly. Her purring was just enough to put him to sleep and he slept through the night.

Dave slept with his shades on. Jade was sleeping a distance away from him, using her arm like a pillow and holding Dave's hand with her free arm. She knew that he preferred having space when he slept; this was because he often got claustrophobic when it was dark. He was the one to hold her hand before he went to sleep. He liked the feeling of having space, but knowing she was close at the same time. Jade thought he was perhaps the most finicky guy in the universe; this was almost true except for perhaps Eridan who had everything a certain way. They got along very well because he was very needy and didn't like showing it, and she was willing to both put up with him and not tell anyone about it. They weren't outwardly affectionate and that's what made them a good match. They were fine with this.

John and Vriska weren't exactly comfortable tent partners. He wanted to be close to her and she wanted more space. Whenever he would wrap his arm over her or rest his head on her shoulder, she sighed inwardly and inched away. She really enjoyed having a lot of space when she slept, it wasn't the same as Dave where she had the fear of being closed in; it was more that she liked having space available to her. John, who was very much infatuated with Vriska, had a hard time putting space between them. He liked having closer, tighter spaces to sleep in and having Vriska near made him want to be as close to her as possible. Sooner or later, though, he got the hint and let her have some breathing room before she kicked him out of the tent. He thought it was still nice to have her there and settled for the space they had together in the tent.

Eridan and Feferi were still a new pair, but they liked being close to each other. While they slept at the bottom of the river, they were no more than an arm's length apart. They didn't do a whole lot that day other than finding the river and swimming around for a couple hours. The sun had a way of tiring them out though in a way that the atmosphere on Alternia didn't. Maybe it was because they had never really experienced the harshness of a sun before, but it made them very tired and sore. Being in the water helped, but the sun was still there and it made them so tired, that they slept very deeply and very well.

**I am super sorry for keeping you all waiting so long for this chapter. I got sick (with pneumonia) and I am still fighting it, but now I can open my eyes and walk. I was working on this one a little bit at a time and now it's finally done. It may be a couple more days before the next one, but hopefully this one will tie you over until then :)**


	11. No need to double take

**Attention to all of my beautiful reading minions! I am looking to collaborate and have a side mission going. If you are currently writing a story or are in idle and you are looking to get into this collaborative freak show, let me know. Basically, I am up to anything Homestuck related along with other various topics. I like having a plot, or an organized list of events that is going on. Pretty much, I just want to see if I can get a miracle to happen and collaborate with a cool MoThErFuCkEr. I prefer writing in T of K ratings because M makes me feel ashamed of myself as a real person. AAAaaaaanyway. Just wanted to throw that out there. The offer also stands if you are an artist on youtube or deviantart and you are looking for a story to illustrate. PM me if you are interested in this here offer.**

**And now, my dears, on with the show. **

**I do not own Homestuck.**

The morning greeted the woods with a light that could Terezi could have seen. No one was able to sleep past the heavy blare of sun and woke up disgruntled and moody.

Equius awoke to Nepeta sprawled over him as if she attempted to jump over him and failed, stretching herself over his chest sideways. He began to sweat, mainly because of the sun, but also from the contact with Nepeta who was beginning to wake up. As she straightened herself up, now kneeling beside him, she pressed her hands into her back which popped multiple times and looked at him curiously. She noticed that she had been laying over him and she blushed and stood up, holding out her hand to help him up. He smiled at her, taking her hand, but getting up without her help knowing he would have tore a muscle in her arm. Next door to them, Dave and Jade were taking their time getting up from their comfortable sleeping spots. Dave just lay there, covering his sunglass-covered eyes with his arm and sighing hopelessly. He had forgotten they were camping and waking up in a tent was a terrible realization to him. Jade, on the other hand, took in a breath of fresh air and smiled broadly, enjoying the great outdoors. She was the only one to leave the tent, Dave was not going to take foot outside until the sun started going down.

Everyone else had slowly made their way outside and Feferi and Eridan had not yet showed up. It was assumed that they floated downstream into a valley and that they would have to go on a hike to find them. John, who until this point had been in a sedated sort of state, seemed to really like the idea of hiking. Today, if he could muster up enough leadership skills, he would try to get everyone to go on a hike. At that moment, Gamzee wheeled Tavros out to the circle around the fire pit and John felt his ideas go down the drain.

Maybe we wiill have to fiith them out

_Sollux, great idea_! John felt another idea come into his mind. They had brought fishing poles! The people who didn't want to (or were unable to) hike, could go fishing. He glanced over at Tavros and quickly looked away when he saw Tavros' eyes meet his own. _Maybe Tavros will like fishing._

Very soon, Eridan and Feferi appeared came over the hilltop down to the campsite. It was lucky they wouldn't have to turn a fun hike into a rescue mission. As soon as everyone was there and began to eat jerky (which Dave was careful to bring) he made the announcement.

So today, let's go on an adventure. We will break up into two groups, one will go hiking, and the other can go fishing. Does anyone here already know how to go fishing?

He looked around; Jade had her hand raised, and surprisingly, so did Gamzee, Nepeta and Aradia. He didn't expect that, but he was very glad that Gamzee would be in the fishing group, hopefully that would make Tavros more comfortable with not being able to go the hike. He continued

So who wants to learn how to fish?

As he suspected, Tavros raised his hand along with Vriska, Sollux, Eridan and Feferi. John suspected the sea dwellers knew how to fish, but didn't want to point out the obvious. This made him come to the conclusion that Rose, Kanaya, Equius, Terezi and Karkat would be coming with him on the hike. He looked over towards Dave's tent which he was sure Dave was trying to sleep in and smirked. If it killed him, he would make Dave go on that hike. He looked over in Jade's direction, then over in Terezi's direction. If he was going to go off on someone, it couldn't be Jade, it would break her little heart.

Terezi…

She immediately looked in his direction and grinned. He wasn't talking loud, not as he was to get everyone's attention, they were talking amongst themselves, he only talked loud enough to get her attention.

Come here for a second.

She patted Karkat's hand, which was on her knee, and walked over to John, looking in his direction expectantly as she arrived in front of him.

We need to get Dace to go on that hike with us, what do you think?

1 4GR33, JOHN, H3 C4NT COM3 4LL TH3 W4Y OUT H3R3 4ND NOT 3NJOY TH3 W1LD3RN3SS!

Good. Here's the plan…

As John talked quietly with Terezi, Karkat couldn't help but look on angrily. He knew john wasn't a treat to their relationship, but he felt his insides get all twisted up. Everything was getting quiet as he tried focusing in on their conversation. He cringed as she giggled, that giggle was meant for _him_. He chewed violently on the inside of his cheek as she hit him on the arm, that punch was meant for _him_. He couldn't hear what they had said, but soon noise was returning to existence as she began walking towards him. He felt his body un tense only for a moment before shooting into a rage as she quickly crawled into Dave's tent. What had Egbert told her to do? Why was she going to bother Dave? The more questions he asked inwardly, the more violent the gnawing became on the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood.

Terezi was fighting back giggles as she came closer to where Dave was lying. He had his arm over his eyes and was breathing steadily, though she couldn't see him, she heard him and knew he was asleep. She sat next to him, remembering what John said to do. She poked him in the side and he grabbed her arm in a flash with his free arm and pulled her towards him.

Not being able to handle anymore twisting nerves, Karkat lunged out of his chair and stormed over to Dave's tent. He threw open the door flap and his heart stopped beating all together. Dave had Terezi pulled down to him into a kiss. She pulled away quickly out of both shock and hearing someone come in the tent. Dave looked up at her, also in shock. Karkat stormed from the tent before he could find the air to breathe.

Terezi? What just happened? I thought you were Jade.

As Karkat had rushed away from the tent, Terezi had caught a whiff of him and felt her blood run cold. She nearly flew from the tent in search of Karkat. John was laughing and asked her something, but she wasn't paying attention.

WH3R3 1S K4RK4T?

Is everything oka-

WH3R3 1S H3?

John became worried, he heard the franticness in her voice and leapt up to her, grabbing her arm and leading her in his direction. As they sped through the forest, he heard her sniffling, something had gone very wrong and he wanted to know what it was, but he didn't want to bother her either. Soon they were very deep in the woods and every direction looked the same. They stopped and she looked around and whispered to him

1S H3 H3R3?

No. I think we're lost.

Terezi turned around a few times before taking the lead and pulling John along with her, he made sure she didn't run into anything because she didn't have her cane. Soon they caught up to him. They had come to a large stone, mountain wall. Somehow Karkat had gotten up on a ledge and was crying his eyes out. John was now very worried, but not nearly as worried as Terezi was. John let go of her arm and stood a little ways behind her, giving them space to talk out whatever had happened.

K4RKL3S, PL34S3 COM3 DOWN!

WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU CARE?

1 4LW4YS C4R3 FOR YOU!

THEN WHY WERE YOU SHARING A BUCKET WITH DAVE GOG DAMMIT!

Terezi's sobs became more and more apparent; she took off her glasses and hung them on the neck of her shirt.

1 W4ST DO1NG 4NYTH1NG W1TH D4V3 YOU MORON1C FUCK! JOHN TOLD M3 TO W4K3 H1M UP, 4ND WH3N 1 TR13D, H3 THOUGHT 1 W4S J4D3!

Karkat was crying hard too, he wanted to believe her, but nothing could get that image out of his head.

NOW K4RK4T, W1LL YOU PL34S3 COM3 DOWN!

He wouldn't come down, he refused to, he was hurting, and he felt betrayed. Suddenly John came forward and shouted up at Karkat.

IT'S TRUE, KARKAT, I DID ASK HER TO WAKE HIM UP!

Still, he wouldn't come down, he just cried, not even worrying that John could see his blood color running down the sides of his face.

F1N3! TH3N 1 4M COM1NG UP!

Karkat panicked slightly, it was a ways up and if she slipped, she could seriously hurt herself. That was the last thing he wanted.

STOP IT TEREZI!

She continued to climb up, why hadn't John stopped her?

JOHN, IF YOU ARE TRULY MY FRIEND, YOU WILL STOP HER FROM COMING UP HERE!

John practically pulled her from the mountain after hearing that. He wanted for Karkat to be his friend, and if this was a step in that direction, he'd take it. Karkat looked down; it was very steep, almost straight up and down. He knew Terezi, if she wanted to she would try all night to climb that wall to bring him down. Eventually he got up his nerves and made the descent. Terezi ran up to him and held him close in a teary embrace and John absconded to let them have some space.

1 LOV3 YOU, YOU GOG D4MN NOOKSUCK3R. DON'T 3V3R DO TH4T TO M3 4G4IN

He held her close, stroking the back of her head and her back. Her arms were around his waist and her face buried in his chest, he wasn't much taller than him, but he was standing on a slope. She had never gone so far as to say that she loved him. He smiled through his tears, forgiving her for what he had witnessed and she forgave him for misunderstanding. After getting rid of the evidence of his tears, they made their way back to camp.

**This is what happens when an anxiety-ridden Karkat feels jealousy. Drama in the first phase, though I assure you, there will be more to come. Stay tuned!**


	12. Dangerous waters

**Question of the day: If you had to choose, in this particular story, would you have a character die? If so, which one? Also, why? I just want opinions, this won't necessarily happen, but that doesn't mean it won't happen. The choice is yours! (More or less)**

**IN OTHER NEWS… it stopped raining today… **

**Mecha Hero is not an owner of Homestuck.**

As soon as everyone had returned to camp, it seemed that no one had noticed they were gone. This was a relief to Terezi and Karkat (mostly Karkat) because that would have been far too embarrassing. While they were gone, Jade had explained what needed to be done to prepare for hiking and fishing. John was thankful of this; she was a good friend, always a step ahead.

Jade, Nepeta and Gamzee led the way to the river with Aradia, Tavros, Eridan, Vriska, Sollux and Feferi. It was a nice-sized group going on the trip, there were sure to catch _something_. A short time after they had left, John prepared his group.

Ok everyone, ready?

There was a dull groaning from the small group that was left. Dave had finally gotten out of the tent, armed to the teeth with bug spray, a hat net and hiking boots. His response to John's look of concern was

I'm not fucking around with bugs John, there are diseases out there.

Everyone was a little discouraged after that, diseases did not sound fun. John was quick to sway them of their contemplation by shooshing Dave. Very soon they began on their hike. John chose a path that led opposite of the river and looked like it might go into the mountains. Luckily, they started the day early and they would, if even luckier, get back by nightfall. Each one of them carried a weapon significant to their strife weapon during their game sessions just to be safe. (AN: there is no captchaloguing, they just pick things up or put things down. Simpler times folks:) )

Meanwhile at the fishing hole, Jade was just getting started on setting up poles, Gamzee was trying to help, but he would get distracted by flashbacks and was deemed unable to set up the poles. The sea dwellers were told that they had to use fishing poles because swimming around could scare the fish away. They really didn't like that idea but played along all the same.

The important thing here is patience!

Jade was excited to be doing something today and getting everyone to share her enthusiasm was a bit of a challenge. Gamzee was always more or less enthusiastic about everything, but others like Aradia and Sollux were a bit less animated. When they finally got the lines in the water, they were spread out along the beach. It was a nice day out, the sun grew less intense after the morning hours and there was a bit of a breeze. Vriska was the first to get a bite, but was stunned as to what to do once there was a fish at the end of her line

Reel it in!

Jade was trying to rush her, but Vriska only looked at the pole helplessly. Jade vaulted over to her and took the rod, reeling in the fish as quickly as she could. At last, at the end of the line, holding on for dear life, was a very odd sort of fish. Jade's expression went from excited to very confused. She had never seen a fish like that. It was long and fat and it was purple and had orange stripes from gill to tail. She looked around at everyone, trying not to show her bewilderment, but failing terribly.

Wh8ts wrong with it?

I've never seen a fish like this… who has the bucke- I mean barrel… who has the barrel?

The barrel for the fish was filled with water and was sitting back against a slope on the beach. Jade found it in her best interest to keep the fish, despite the fact that she wasn't sure if it was poisonous or not. After only a few minutes, at least five more of those fish were caught, Jade was slightly worried, but that wouldn't stop them from fishing. Hopefully they would catch a more familiar fish that day.

The path winded around a mountain and was covered by low hanging trees. The trees were a nice relief from the sun which seemed to be getting closer. The path was narrow, a side by side sort of narrow close to a drop that would soon become a very long fall. They had just reached the mountain and John stopped to warn them.

It is important that you stay as close as you can to the wall as possible, if you fall, it will either kill you or leave you in crippling pain.

Everyone was quiet and seemed wary to proceed; shockingly Dave pushed past everyone and was first up the trail. John was amused but decided to take up the back end of the group, letting Rose and Kanaya go after Dave, Terezi and Karkat after them, Equius after them, and John followed behind Equius. The fact that the 'leader' was behind him made Equius sweat noticeably more, but john wasn't paying attention although Equius was making sure he didn't do anything wrong.

Hey, John!

Dave had stopped up ahead and John was a little irritated, but the line began to move again

What is it?

Let's go home tomorrow. I've had enough fun.

John could practically see the smirk on Dave's face as he said this. They weren't going to leave until the day after tomorrow, it was agreed on. He wouldn't have to be the one driving home, he wasn't going to do anymore activities and this hike was just about the most draining thing he had done in a while. Dave wasn't expecting an answer from John, but it would have been nice to be humored.

I wonder if they have caught anything yet

Rose hadn't eaten last night; the deer was awful-smelling and made her sick when she ate it. She would have liked something a little more cooked. She had enjoyed the jerky from the morning though. The thought of eating fish made her food sack rumble, this hike was making things worse. Kanaya was aware of Rose's hunger because she had been griping about it under her breath all morning so she let Rose walk closer to the wall, just in case she collapsed.

An hour later, the hike had become very draining for most of the travelers and they found a sub summit to stop and rest. They didn't have anything to eat once they stopped to rest, but it was a very nice view. The forest went on forever and it covered several lower mountains and higher ones too. The sun was still high and they had yet to reach the peak. Karkat looked around grumpily; he was also hungry, quickly finding a berry bush. He walked towards it, but Dave grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to stop and glare at him

You don't want to be eating those, bro.

Karkat raised his brow and wrinkled his forehead

SO YOU CAN HAVE THEM ALL TO YOURSELF?

Dave kept his usual blank expression and pointed to the dead birds around the area. Karkat felt a certain stupidity hang over him, but shook it off quickly. _Stupid human, what does he know?_ And yet, you turn around and return to sitting by Terezi and Kanaya.

To Jade's relief they had caught a number of different fish. Nepeta had started out not liking to use a fishing pole, but she liked it more over time. She and Gamzee were getting along very well, almost too well. Tavros watched them closely, and felt himself dye a little each time Nepeta made Gamzee laugh. He took every opportunity to get closer to them and make himself feel better. Nepeta was friends with Tavros too, but maybe she felt a little redder for Gamzee on that day.

:33 Gamzee, you are pawsitvely wonderful at fish hunting!

WeLl I wAs TaUgHt To FiSh As A gRuB

:33 me too!

They laughed about it for a little while. Gamzee thought she was adorable and was completely oblivious to her developing feelings to him. Tavros, however, saw right through them and made his way over.

uH HI gAMZEE

hEy TaVbRo :o)

Gamzee leaned over and hugged him, sporting that lazy smile and making Tavros a little more calm. Nepeta on the other hand wore a smile on the outside but was seething on the inside. There was a feeling deep down that kept telling her they are her friends, but closer to the surface burned with envy. Gamzee was funny and really cam most of the time, he was a highblood and Equius would approve of him and…. She sort of felt red for him.

iS sOmEtHiNg WrOnG?

She realized that she had a fixed glare out in space and shook herself out of it.

:33 efurry thing is fine

She smoothed out her smile and let it fade away naturally. She wanted Gamzee to know how she felt, but at the same time Tavros was her friend, and yet, Gamzee… She had to shake herself out of it again as her pole heaved towards the water.

**Nepeta and Gamzee… interesting… how will things unfold? bum Bum BUUUM!**

**Soo…. Review! :D**


	13. Over the top

**Soooooo…. Hmm… I'm having a bit of an off day. I was just going to kill everyone off from some monstrous entity living in the woods and have some drown…but…I can't end it like that, plus there is still another dozen chapters to go (as much as I love writing, I hope it doesn't go on much longer) before I can start a new story. Yay a new thing to read woohoo! Well maybe. I almost want to start a new one now, but I need some time to think, maybe someone can suggest an idea. I'm not worried about that now though. Anyway -sigh- I do not own Homestuck and I am about thiiiiiiis close to getting a life so another break in updates may occur.**

John wanted to continue on the walk, but there was a strange feeling holding him back. Maybe it was a feeling in his gut or maybe it was in the wind, but he sensed something dangerous. He looked around at the group; a lot of them looked tired and hungry. Maybe they should turn around and start walking back to camp. The sun was just beginning to go down but it was hardly noticeable.

Alright everyone, let's start heading back.

Equius was the first to object

L0wb100d, we sh0uld c0ntinue, it is n0t STRONG 0f us t0 turn back n0w, 0nly half way thr0ugh.

I know, but they won't make it, they are not as strong as you, no one is.

Equius almost gave in to a blush, but definitely began to sweat more.

Dave, do you want to be in the front again?

Nope.

John took up the front of the line and led everyone down the mountain. The walk down was always more dangerous, the walk down made you have to look down. Kanaya was especially scared of heights and looking down was making her knees into jelly. She allowed Rose to stay on the inside of the path because she was wobbling to a point where Dave told Equius to carry her. She was incredibly reluctant to the idea and refused to be carried.

Usually, the way back always seemed quicker, but in this case the hike back was dragging on. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened, John had felt it, he knew something would happen and when it did he died a little for not preventing it.

When they had caught enough fish for days, Jade investigated all of them. Some of them she recognized, sturgeon, trout and what looked like a miniature breed of salmon. The rest of them looked very different, almost like they were out of a dream. She looked around; Gamzee, Tavros and Nepeta were hanging out, Feferi, Eridan and Sollux were walking around, but Aradia was by herself.

Hey, Aradia, can you come here for a sec?

She continued staring at the horizon before reacting to Jade.

Sure.

She hopped out of the tree and walked over to Jade and the barrel. She observed the fish and looked at her expectantly.

I need a second opinion on these fish. Have you ever seen them before?

She looked at them again and put her hand in the barrel, stroking the fish as they swam by her hand.

I've seen a c0uple 0f them in b00ks.

She pointed at the ones Jade hadn't seen, this reassured her, but she was very concerned as to why they were here.

Are they poisonous?

She was quiet for a time before answering; Jade noticed that he did this very often.

Yes, m0st 0f them are, are th0se 0nes p0is0n0us?

No, those fish were on Earth.

Jade had this awful feeling in the pit of her stomach. _If there were fish from both Alternia and Earth here… What else was here from Alternia?_

Aradia, what kind of things were in the forests of Aternia?

His time, instead of staring off, she snapped her neck around to face her with a very worried look on her face.

Y0u d0n't think th0se things are here…. D0 y0u?

Maybe, I mean, the fish are here…

Aradia grabbed Jade's wrist

We have t0 get 0ut 0f here. Y0u humans- all 0f us... we c0uld be in danger

Jade looked down at Aradia's hand around her wrist and then met her eyes. She did look very worried and she hadn't known her to joke. Her gaze shot up to the mountains where the rest of the group might be, there were so many mountains, if they were to die, if they were to get in trouble…

We have to find the others

Rose had to stop. She felt so sick, so dizzy, she just had to stop.

Please Rose, Let Equius Carry You

She waved her hand in refusal and slid down the wall to a sit down.

Go on without me, I know the way down, the path is clear.

Dave walked over to her and helped her up, putting her weight on his shoulder. He always looked out for her; she didn't struggle with him, brother and sister. He pushed his way past everyone and led the way down the mountain. Kanaya and Equius were in the back, he didn't really notice her fear of heights and he walked on the inside of the trail. There was a rustling in the overgrowth on the side of the mountain. Kanaya stopped and looked around; Equius stopped ahead and listened in as well. There was another noise before it jumped out at her. There was a small orange-green dragon sort of thing. It was the size of a small child, covered in fur and had scaly wings. Kanaya was just inches away from falling off the cliff and she was holding the thing away from her as best as she can. The creature was hissing shrilly and trying desperately to claw at her and bite her. Everyone ran back over to see what had happened.

Equius was pulling the thing off of her when they all gathered around; Kanaya was on the ground, gasping for air. Suddenly, the creature twisted around and clamped onto his shoulder with powerful jaws. He let out a loud yell and blood gushed all over the place. He pulled at it, trying to break free and lost his footing. He fell from the cliff, the creature falling away from him. Everything was slow then, John ran forward as fast as he could, everyone reaching forward in attempts to catch him. He lunged forward, scraping against the ground and reaching out to him. He just barely missed him.

His yell echoed over the valley and Nepeta froze, a blank stare forming over her face. She stood up and looked towards the mountain, she knew, it was almost instinctive. She screamed, almost as if in pain and ran off as fast as her feet could carry her.

John gasped and looked over the edge, he felt himself begin to cry. He had let him die….

**Is Equius dead? I hope not, I don't know, I can hardly wait to read further! The anticipation is killing me! SOMEONE UPDATE THIS AT ONCE! SOMEONE DEMAND MEACHA HERO TO WRITE THE GOG DAMN STORY! Wahhhhh!**


	14. The horrible snap

**LAST TIME ON 'GETTING LOST'**

_Equius was pulling the thing off of her when they all gathered around; Kanaya was on the ground, gasping for air. Suddenly, the creature twisted around and clamped onto his shoulder with powerful jaws. He let out a loud yell and blood gushed all over the place. He pulled at it, trying to break free and lost his footing. He fell from the cliff, the creature falling away from him. Everything was slow then, John ran forward as fast as he could, everyone reaching forward in attempts to catch him. He lunged forward, scraping against the ground and reaching out to him. He just barely missed him._

_His yell echoed over the valley and Nepeta froze, a blank stare forming over her face. She stood up and looked towards the mountain, she knew, it was almost instinctive. She screamed, almost as if in pain and ran off as fast as her feet could carry her._

_John gasped and looked over the edge, he felt himself begin to cry. He had let him die…._

**AND NOW**

**THE MUCH ANTICIPATED CONTINUATION OF 'GETTING LOST'**

**Author does not own Homestuck… **

Nepeta ran on all fours, she had gotten used to the speed in gave her and it gave her a huge gain. Even at her fastest sprint she wouldn't have reached him in time. John looked down the mountain side, he could almost reach him. Nepeta showed up next to him about 30 feet down. She was crying and yelling, John felt a huge emptiness inside of him for her. He felt like it was his fault.

Nepeta laid her on his chest and sobbed heavily and that's when it happened. She heard the faintest hint of a heart beat.

Come quick! He's alive!

John's eyes widened, feeling hopeful but still feeling like shit for letting him fall. It looked like he had rolled down most of the way, but there was still the initial drop. This gave people the incentive to hurry down the mountain, Dave was helping Rose and Kanaya was (though still very shaken up) was running quickly along the wall. She felt that his fall was her fault, if she would have ignored the sound, they would have been alright.

It took very close to an hour for them to reach Nepeta and Equius at the bottom of the mountain. She had his head on her lap and had been giving him water. Rose and Karkat stayed at camp to rest and eat something. John grimaced when he saw Equius up close, he had clearly broken his leg, his wrist and his other ankle, from the looks of it he may have also broken a few ribs and punctured a lung. His breathing was very labored, but he was strong, he would pull through, at least John hoped he would. None of them were great at first aid, but his money was on Sollux.

Equius, can you move at all?

Equius tried to get up, but there was this awful snapping sound that sent him into painful growls and Nepeta into tears. John looked around to find Terezi; since Sollux wasn't there she was his second option.

Terezi, on those crime shows you watch, do they ever show anything about medical emergencies?

W3LL, USU4LLY TH3Y L34V3 TH3 BODY- UH- 1 M34N TH3 V1CT3M B3C4US3 MOV1NG H1M M1GHT C4US3 H1M MOR3 P41N

John was feeling very warm, the pressure was setting in and it would be getting dark soon. He looked down at his fallen friend and felt chills roll against him, forcing him to tremble and tear up.

How are you feeling?

Equius was quiet, his mouth twitched and if he was crying his glasses were covering it (though one lens was popped out completely).

We need to get him to camp before more of those things come.

He looked around, everyone was shaken up quite a bit, but Nepeta was definitely crushed. She was brushing his hair from his face and crying over him. John could sense her grief, she was sure he was going to die.

Kanaya, go get the others, I'll come with you.

John and Kanaya ran to the river with haste. Someone had to know how to save him, anyone. Dave and Terezi gave them some space, if Equius was going to die, they deserved a last moment.

Please don't leave me… you are my best friend here… please, just hang on.

She held onto his hand and tried to wipe the tears away. He was breathing slowly and raspy, he tried not to move, but every breath he took was painful all over his body. He was fearful of his death now more than ever. He was worried about how his death might affect Nepeta; he was always there for her and dreaded her not having him around.

The news spread fast and soon Equius was surrounded by concerned faces. Sollux came forward; he knew some about first aid, enough to help him maybe. In order to take a good look at him he needed to remove Equius' clothes. The damage was worse than originally assumed. All of the ribs on his right side were broken, his left knee protruded through his skin. His right wrist was turned completely around, his ankle was pushed into his shin, and he was losing a lot of blood. Sollux was excellent at hiding his emotions; in this case he almost broke. He didn't want Equius to know how bad it was.

We have to get to the thiity quiick guyth

Everyone's face fell in horror. They didn't mind cutting the trip in half to save his life, but the fact that they needed to was a scary thought. First, how were they going to get him into the bus without further injuring him? Also, was he going to make it? Some stayed with him; others went to camp to think up ideas to get him into the bus. The tents were packed and a gurney was fashioned as the sun set. Everything was happening so fast, but for Equius, time was standing still. He couldn't hear anyone or anything that was going on around him, all he could hear was his breathing. His vision would come and go, most of the time, everything was dark and blue. As John, Eridan, Gamzee and Karkat lifted him on to the gurney, he said his first words in hours.

D0n't be afraid…

The only one who heard him was Karkat and he knew that his words were directed at Nepeta. He looked over at her, it was dark and he could only make out her silhouette, he would have to tell her later. He never cared for the self-righteous highblood in the least, but he couldn't bare look at him all broken and see Nepeta morn over him so sorrowfully.

Soon, they loaded him carefully into the bus and tied him down with Tavros' wheelchair safety belts. Everyone boarded the bus, this time John was driving and he didn't waste time to give a narcissistic driving speech.

**Remember before, when I asked if anyone wanted anybody dead? Well, surprisingly enough there was this huge tie between wanting Equius to die and no one to die. Was it really a tie? Not at all, but everyone loves a little near death drama. Don't worry; there is still time for him to die if he's going to die. Well, as promised (though I hadn't openly promised it just in case I couldn't own up to my word) I posted two chapters in one day. Yaaaaaay….**

**This one will likely be over soon. Do not worry! I am thinking up another story as we speak. Maybe a humanstuck one since I absolutely must broaden my horizon. We will see. To all of you who have been sticking around to read all of this horse shit, thank you, you all make my day at least 78% better. More or less. Anyways, thanks again, I hope to see you continuously viewing down the road. Have a good one :)**


	15. The road home is

**I'm so sorry for the wait everyone… actually I'm not. This chapter is dedicated to those dramatic shows that make you wait a week to see the exciting outcome. Thankfully enough, in this case I made you wait like a day, but the thought is there. Anyways, with no further ado, here it is, the exciting outcome!**

**I do not own Homestuck.**

The ride to the city was dangerous. John was driving quickly around the sharp turns of the mountain road until Rose reminded him that if he continued driving like that, he would kill them all. So he was driving carefully on the way up to the paved road and then he began to speed again. No one was on the road which was a good thing because he was pushing the limits of the bus in speed. Nepeta was staying by Equius still while others were trying to sleep and not worry about it so much.

There were a few who didn't care at all about the situation and were a little disappointed to be leaving so early. Vriska wanted to stay for another day because she liked the adventure of it, Jade loved spending time in the great outdoors, and John was only slightly disappointed, but far too busy worrying to be bothered by his disappoint. Others were relieved to be leaving early. Dave couldn't wait to get home since they left and Kanaya enjoyed her little break from reality but it was time to get back to her normal routine.

Equius' fall was tragic, but Tavros couldn't help but to thank fate for the incident. Because of this, Nepeta took her attention away from Gamzee. He felt awful for thinking like this, but it was how he felt, he didn't want the possibility of losing Gamzee to her to be something he had to worry about. He looked back at them from where he was sitting; she really did love him, he had never seen anyone so beat up about someone else.

They soon arrived at the hospital. They left Equius on the bus while John and Sollux ran inside for help. Soon he was carried off, Nepeta walking quickly at his side. Everyone else stayed on the bus, watching him be rushed into the hospital from their windows.

I w0nder if he will make it…

Karkat looked over at her, she was sitting behind him. He knew they had been matesprits for a while long ago, he was guessing she still had some feelings for him somewhere. The look she had would have made Sollux scowl or at least bring him down. There certainly was a lot of emotion going on between everyone lately, it made him sick. He looked next to him, Terezi looked asleep, her glasses were off and eyes were closed. He leaned onto her and closed his eyes, sleeping sounded nice.

Feferi was concerned about Equius, they had a lightly developed friendship and she didn't want to lose such a potentially good friend. Eridan, on the other hand, seemed he couldn't care less. He thought Equius was far too narcissistic to make a good friend and so never really talked to him for that reason. At that moment, the two sea dwellers were having a hard time talking with each other because they just couldn't agree.

Gamzee had Tavros' legs over his lap while he propped himself against the window. Tavros was falling out of the seat almost constantly, and so they traded spots and Gamzee wanted to make sure he was secure; this was the best way to go about it. Tavros had fallen asleep a little while back, before they had gotten to the hospital and Gamzee could see he was troubled by something. He wouldn't talk to him or even respond to his hand holding and so Gamzee thought that he must just be really affected by the accident.

Everyone else was asleep, and soon (within the hour) everyone was asleep… all except for Rose. She had no problem staying awake and keeping watch. She was running on fumes now, hardly having eaten in the past couple days. She had noticed her stomach begin to fuss and sleep tugging at her eyelids. It was raining now and the sound of the pattering rain against the windows was oh so soothing. _It is safe in here;_ she had to convince herself before drifting off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, things weren't looking too good. Nepeta couldn't sand having to wait in the waiting room, not knowing how Equius was doing, not knowing if he'd pull through this. She was anxious, but didn't have the energy to pace; instead she began tearing the seat material of the chair she was sitting in. Sollux and John were with her in the room. John had fallen asleep a couple minutes ago, but Sollux was still wide awake. He saw the injuries Equius had undergone, he saw the damage his body had taken and he was very doubtful that Equius would survive this ordeal; at the very least he would be crippled for the rest of his life.

It was nearly morning before a nurse crept quietly into the waiting room with some blankets and a tray of soup bowls. Luckily, Nepeta was asleep, she worried herself into slumber. Sollux was still awake, but only just. The nurse set the tray down and put the blankets over Nepeta and john. She walked over to Sollux and put a blanket over him, not seeing that he was still awake. He watched her through narrow eyes, feigning sleep. She left the soup there and left the room quietly. He sighed roughly when she left, still no news.

It was 10:00 in the morning. The hospital was beginning to get busy with patients and doctors lining the halls. Sollux woke up with a start to the sound people shuffling around. He saw that Nepeta was still asleep which meant that there was still no news. John sat down next to him with a sandwich in each hand.

I thought you might be hungry. I already got food for the others.

Sollux accepted the sandwich, he was hungry, but he reminded himself why he was there and lowered the sandwich from his mouth, appetite nearly wiped out.

You need to eat, Sol. Starving yourself won't make the outcome any better.

He was right; besides, he hadn't eaten since the morning before. Soon Nepeta woke up but refused the food, even with the logic John had. She was still worried sick and if she ate, there was a chance she wouldn't be able to keep it down.

11:00

Finally a doctor approached the three of them. He removed the mask from his face and looked at all of them for a long minute. Nepeta's eyes began to water a little before he even said anything. The look on the doctor's face was cold and emotionless.

Your friend…

Nepeta began to bawl at his pause. She was one to assume the worst when it came to bad situations.

Your friend is alive. He is alive, but there were some complications in surgery…

Nepeta was crying too hard to say anything and John was focused on comforting her.

What do you mean; compliicatiionth?

The doctor looked at him, a look of concern attempting to spread over his face.

There were many broken bones. One of them put a hole through his lung, another cutting off circulation to one of his legs…

He paused again and Sollux was trying really hard to stay calm and not strangle the doctor for his poor excuse of breaking the news.

We had to remove one of the lungs and replace it with a new one. However, he had to lose his leg or he would have lost too much blood and died.

There was an awful screeching sob coming from Nepeta who was buried in John's chest and so it was muffled. The doctor's face saddened as he watched her fall apart.

He is stable now, if you would like to see him. He is heavily sedated and will not be able to respond, although he may hear you.

It took Nepeta what seemed like hours to calm herself and follow the doctor to the room Equius was in. Sollux went with her and John went out to the bus to tell everyone the news. Most of them were cranky, bored and wanted to go home, but when he told them what had happened everyone fell silent. A few of them wanted to go see him, others stayed and complained inwardly. Aradia, Kanaya, Gamzee and John walked into the hospital in search of Equius' room.

She leaned over him, holding onto his hand, trying hard not to sob though she was lightly crying. There was a blanket over his lower body so she was not able to see the results of the surgery. There were stitches all over his body. Sollux sat in a chair close to the door in the hall; he knew that she needed time with him to see that he was okay.

You're gonna be ok… you are safe now.

His breathing was being monitored, his heart rate was on big screen and he had tubes running all though him, it was just like those shows that Vriska watches where the main character dies.

I will stay here with you.

She knew the doctor said he wouldn't be responsive, but she wished he would open his eyes, look up at her, and smile like he always did when he was happy with her. He didn't move, and there was no sign that he would move. She bit back the tears and sat next to him, keeping his hand in hers. Soon the others showed up, warned ahead of time that Nepeta might tear them apart if they got too close to him. She didn't have the strength in her to move and that, to John, was the saddest part.

Aradia stood on the other side of the bed and looked down at him sadly; she too looked over the stitches and the bruises and felt her eyes well up with tears. _I kn0w y0u'll be 0k… but I can't help but feel like I alm0st l0st y0u again…_ it was true, she still had strong feelings for him, but he had been too closed up in their relationship and she couldn't hang with his moodiness. Still, the feelings were there and words were left unsaid because Sollux was sitting just outside and it would break his heart.

Kanaya put her hand on Nepeta's shoulder. Her concern for her moirail was a beautiful thing. She felt terrible for everything that had happened to him and blamed herself. She looked at him and sighed;_ I'm Sorry This Had To Happen To You; It Should Be Me In That Bed, Not You_. She shut her eyes tightly in order to force back the tears and keep the memory of the recent happening out of her head. No matter how hard she tried, the image wouldn't leave her and finally she wept.

Gamzee loomed over the foot of the bed and examined Equius' body. He could see where they took off his leg through the blanket. He was frowning, clearly sad, but unable to cry. Equius was a hard guy to get along with, even for Gamzee. He respected him, which was nice, but then he would criticize him too and Gamzee just wasn't a fan of getting criticized._ I kNeW YoU'd LiVe, MoThErFuCkEr. JuSt HaD tO gIvE uS a LiTtLe ScArE, hUh?_ He smiled quickly and patted Equius' good leg.

John stood with Sollux near the door. They looked in the room for a short while and then decided to leave. As they walked out of the hospital, the doctor stopped them at the door.

Will someone be able to stay with him until he is ready to go home?

John nodded, thinking of Nepeta.

How long will he need to stay?

About 3 weeks to get used to the medication and to rehabilitate himself and get comfortable wit his new state of being.

They nodded in understanding and the doctor walked off.

**You see guys? Everything is fine. I knew it would be! I wonder how Equius will handle having a missing leg. We'll see. It should be exciting. Maybe. Uhm… maybe exciting, though I am sure exciting is not the word I'm looking for. Oh well. FIND OUT NEXT TIME!**


	16. Meanwhile, back on the ranch

_**~~~I apologize greatly for the delay. I am the type of person that likes to go out with a bang, a buildup before the drop, if you will (for all those dubstep fans out there ;] ). Anyway, this delay was the buildup, this chapter release is the drop, and all of its contents are the wobbley goodness afterwards.~~~**_

**This is only part one! I plan on making this one the longest chapter yet, and part two is likely to be a lot shorter, but not noticeably. Ugh, I am sorry again for the wait, but at least it's here now. I hope you enjoy and don't hate me because nothing actually happens here. **

**I do not own Homestuck-**

_The curtains raise and reveal a familiar neighborhood of ugly houses just before dawn…_

Rose walks over to Sollux with her usual cup of coffee and is happy to see that he has learned how to use his coffee maker. They sit against the house and watch the as the block is painted with golden light. It has been about three months since they got back home from their trip. Sollux was happy to be back and was not looking to leave again anytime soon. He slowly sipped his coffee and averted his gaze down the road where the sun was making its grand appearance. The humming of summer bugs was beginning to tune up and make the world much louder than its former silence.

There had been a few changes since their return to the block of ugly houses. For one, roommates switched around. It was now in the following order:

_Jade/Vriska/John/Dave_

_Kanaya/Rose/Aradia_

_Equius/Nepeta_

_Sollux /Tavros/Gamzee_

_Karkat/Terezi_

After this living situation was established, everyone seemed to be more sociable. Feferi and Eridan lived separately, but in the ocean together. Karkat still had occasional anxiety attacks, but at least now he liked being around people, particularly Terezi and Sollux. At first, Jade didn't like the idea of Rose moving out and Vriska moving in, but Vriska proved to be less of a huge bitch to her because Dave would get on her case about it. Rose was having a great time in her new hive; she and Kanaya would stay up late at night to finish designing new outfits or to put together outfits for the next day and Aradia would try the new stuff on. Sollux began to notice Aradia's lingering feelings toward Equius and began to let her go (though lettering her go was harder than getting her in the first place and it was a difficult time for him). Tavros and Gamzee were as happy as ever together; Tavros didn't have to feel possessive over Gamzee anymore.

Equius didn't like the idea of having one leg, not at all. As soon as he had returned home, he built himself a leg. He built a few legs actually, a few of the first models were very temperamental, there were times when he would be walking and the leg would explode. Just like that. He hated it. So there were several different models for his leg and the current one had lasted a week (which was the longest running model to date). Nepeta living with him helped a lot. She often calmed him down when his leg blew up and brought the two-wheeled device to him. She took care of him better than he could possibly take care of himself and he was grateful. He too, noticed Aradia's rekindled feelings for him every once in a while. She would come to visit him when his lung was acting up and walking around just wasn't an option. He wouldn't show it, he couldn't especially not in front of her, but maybe just maybe, he was feeling things too. But Nepeta knew and she'd start up with him as soon as Aradia left.

:33 you like her…

N0, I d0 n0t

:33 t33h33 I think you do

… y0u will st0p this

:33 oooh the blue blood is f33ling red!

And then she's squeal and run away from an oncoming pillow or wrench and laugh as she'd leave the room. He wouldn't admit it to anyone… until much later, but that's another story ;)

**Rose: Quickly, monologue!**

As much as you'd like to monologue, you think you will hold off for a while. Besides, there isn't enough story for you to monologue the ending yet. Instead, you continue to thread the needle. This particular needle has a particularly narrow hole and what's more is this thread is particularly thick. You have been working at it for hours, possibly days, more likely a couple more minutes that you'd like to spend threading needles. Kanaya won't help you with your predicament, she only laughs and threads her needle with ease. You pout, realizing that this is stupid, and move on to knitting. In the short time that you two having been living together, things have been peaceful; you manage to make a new dress every week and at new outfit at least twice a week. Kanaya has begun to express her feelings as red towards you. As of late, you have a better understanding of the quadrants and can't help but to share these red feelings for her over time.

Aradia reminds you of herself when she gets into her moods. She becomes quite glum and you can't help but to induce yourself with her grimdark energy. You converse feelings and find a way to cheer each other up with a dark sense of humor. You really enjoy your new hivemates and feel like this change could work well for you for years to come. Monologue? You consider it.

**Tavros: Practice juggling!**

Juggling? You're really not sure you want to try; even watching Gamzee juggle is a little nerve racking. It would impress Gamzee if you did figure it out, but you could break something. You look around nervously at all of the breakable things and cringe. Right now you are tidying up your room because just that morning Gamzee got around to putting a poster on your ceiling. Why do you need to tidy up? Your dearest matesprit took a spill… more like a dump. When he falls, he takes everything with him. You are sure you have never had your room in such a mess, but it doesn't bother you because you finally have a poster on your ceiling. He made you promise not to look at it until you are going to bed. The anticipation is bound to tear right through you, but you persist. You figure you will go out into the back yard when you are done. It is nice and warm out, just your kind of weather. The cleaning doesn't take long and soon you are able to enjoy the yard.

The yards are surprisingly big, at least your yard is. There was no need to go camping in the woods, there's enough outdoors right here. You sit in the shade and listen to the outside, it is a much nicer sound here than in Alternia. Although, as recently discovered, some creatures from back home are living on this planet, it is assumed that they stay away from ugly hives. Soon you will go out front and join the block party that is going on.

**Vriska: Look busy!**

You'd really rather not. You don't want to look nor be busy at all. So what if everyone is busy setting up tables and making food for the block party, it's not like it was your idea to have the thing anyway. Instead of looking busy, you make yourself busy by sitting on the couch and watching the end of Conair. Normally it would be getting you as it does every time, but you can hear anything over the commotion in the kitchen. You spin around quickly and meet John's eyes as he catches the last pan to come crashing out of the cupboard. He blushes at you in apology for making such a raucous and quickly hunches over to pick up all of the fallen pots and pans to put them back. You continue to watch him, hiding a small blush behind the back of the couch. Ever since you moved in, you have become more flushed for him, almost to the point of becoming steady matesprits and not taking second looks at Tavros whenever you get the chance.

Do you need h8lp?

He looks at you with a raised brow, taken aback that you would offer help at all. This makes you giggle and you walk over to the countertop dividing the kitchen and sitting room. You must admit, you adore this counter; the overall design of it is appealing. Lately you have been taking an awkward and new interest in interior design, as John calls it. Leaning over the counter, you see that John has all kinds of different ingredients spread out around the lower counter. You watch him as he starts putting everything together and the smell of it is amazing. While he is not looking, you sneak a wad of yellow fluff that he is stuffing into small grub sacks. It is the strangest thing you have ever eaten, but it's not bad.

Wh8t is this?

John turned around and smiled at her before turning around again.

Devilled eggs. You learn to love them

**Sollux: Learn to love them!**

You attempt to love them, but Gamzee's bet rabbits have really pissed on your mood. Just recently, Gamzee found, caught and brought home a rabbit for you that he pre-named Yogurt. This rabbit just so happened to create four more rabbits over night and now they are eating everything in your closet. You decide to let them go into the wild and risk Gamzee finding them and returning them, you just don't care. As you walk outside with an armful of rabbits you run into Tavros who is looking up at you, and then the rabbits, at first he looks interested and then terrified.

uH, wHAT ARE THOSE?

You look at his scared expression for a moment then at the rabbits and decide to use this as an advantage.

Theeth are poiithunuth cloud warriiorth

pOISONOUS?

Tavros' bottom lip quivered as the things wriggled around in your arms.

Wanna thee one?

Tavros flinched and then backed up in his chair. You have to stifle a laugh, but the smile was apparent.

II have to get riid of theeth.

Tavros nods and wheels around you so you can proceed to the backyard. When you get there, you throw them over the fence behind the hive; it is a low chain fence, so it's a very low drop. Nothing is behind your backyard except for about a mile of grass and some trees. Someday you'll have to make that fence taller because the view is just boring and hard to look at. You stand there, leaning on the fence, getting very dazed by the ugly beyond when you remember what you're supposed to be doing.

You make your way back inside and begin work on the project you've been given. This kind of thing is really more of EQ's forte, but you can make it cool looking enough. As you begin to work on this project it strikes you that you may be running late.

**Nepeta: Arrive on time!**

You will arrive on time when it is time for that. For now, you focus on making sure not to burn the cake; which against Dave's outlandish claims is NOT a lie. It is right there, in the oven, you can see it right now even. You manage to shake off Dave's ironic blabbering and listen closely; you don't even have to be listening closely, you could hear Equius shouting self-censored obscenities from the block of pretty hives. You begin to wonder what has him so riled up when suddenly there is a loud explosion from the other room. You sigh lightly and check on the cake again, for the thirtieth time that minute, and see that it still has a lot of time left.

You walk to the room from which an explosion was just heard and half expect to see Equius with a blown up chunk of metal welded to his hip but are surprised to find differently. You're not sure what he was trying to make, but whatever it was had exploded on the ceiling.

What in the wurrld are you doing in here?

He looks up at you from his work bench and is coated with sweat.

I was making a b0mb…

You look at him suspiciously, then the ceiling (there was no hole surprisingly, just a scorched spot) and then back at him.

A bomb…?

He nodded, you are still suspicious of him, but quickly remember that there is a cake in the oven that may or may not exist. As you scramble over to the oven and peek inside you can begin to smell its existence, and it smells wonderful! You have like cake ever since you tried it and wanted to make it since then. Now that you are actually attempting it, it takes a lot more patience that you thought it would.

**Eridan: Become an Olympian!**

You have no Idea what that is, but it sounds like hard work. Today is an easy day to do something all together that requires little to no effort. If you can get away with it, you like to go days at a time doing nothing, not even so much as lifting a finger for food to be brought to you. This is fine, you enjoy the good life. Your mission today is to fill stretchy flaps with water, Jade calls them water balloons, but you honestly listen to her only when she's complimenting you. Water balloon filling is easy enough, it's the tying them shut part that makes you want to go back to doing nothing. You've never been really coordinated with your hands and tying balloons is just begging to give you a hard time.

You for one; are actually looking forward to the block party so you can just sit around and hurl these offish, oblong, water-filled sacks at everyone. Especially Jade for asking you to do this ridiculous task, you would much rather be swimming around, hunting sharks. You decide that this whole thing is making you look absolutely stupid so you find a vacant hive and fill the balloons in privacy. Once in hiding, you change your mind, figuring that filling balloons in private was just an awkward scenario so you sit out front and use the hose. You sigh mournfully as Aradia and Terezi walk by, there is just no safe way to do this without looking stupid.

You watch from the porch as Dave begins to set up tables in the middle of the street. Looking down at your wheelbarrow filled with filled balloons you get this crazy idea. You grab one and lob it as hard as you can at Dave. Unfortunately and very embarrassingly, the balloon doesn't even reach the sidewalk. You sigh and hope he didn't see that miserable excuse of a throw. You're really not sure if he caught you or not, but he doesn't seem to be fazed by it. You feel your insides sink at your anticipation and continue to fill balloons in order to play off that sad event.

**Jade: Light the candles!**

You cannot light the candles because there are no candles to be lit yet, however once Nepeta is done baking the cake, candles will be illuminated. As of now, you are far too busy making sure everything gets done. Because you are the one with the bright ideas, you have to be in charge of this whole shindig and with a budget. Budgets don't really bother you; you aren't making or baking anything, just organizing it. Everything got off to a later start that you would have like simply because you were too excited to go to sleep early and so woke up late to make up for it.

You are thankful that Vriska has been tied over by John's mischievousness because you are sure your run-ins with her today would have had you willed into sleep in no time flat. You had asked her multiple times to make some sort of meal and she just won't listen to you. You're not sure why she is so against you, but it is very frustrating living with someone who just won't listen.

Currently, you are working on getting the lights up and running, later on, when Sollux is done tampering with explosives you will ask him to help you check the lighting. Next, you make sure everything is accounted for as far as dishes go. You think you have enough, but that's only if everyone uses the same plate and fork throughout the whole party. You worry about this for a minute and then move on to worrying about something entirely different.

**Gamzee: Set the table!**

You would rather not; besides, you're busy shopping for the drinks. Not everyone likes Faygo which is a crazy revelation to you. You're not even sure what Mountain Derp is or whatever they called it, and you don't see why anyone would want to drink something as plain as water. Aradia was on some other aisle looking for something else. Every hive has someone who has to go to the store and everyone goes together. This time it's only you and Aradia looking for party things. Usually, you love going shopping; everything is just so chill and organized, but not today. This store that you're at doesn't have any Faygo and you don't feel like looking around for other drinks.

Lately, there has been something bothering you, but you just can't point it out. Maybe it's something in the weather, whatever it is; it is making you irritable and being short-tempered makes you want to be around people less. You consider just not going to the block party and going far away for a little while. As you mull over this idea, Tavros comes to mind and it makes you second guess everything. You want the world for him, but whatever is bothering you is making you less attached to this idea. You continue down the aisle, loading random drinks into the cart and eventually Aradia meets you t the end of the aisle. The two of you have become good friends over time, but it has definitely taken a while. She has been trying to help you get through whatever has been eating at you with long talks about nothing in particular, but it clears your mind. You are Gamzee Makara and you don't know it yet, but you are on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

**Aradia: Hurry up and get back to the hive **

You proceed to arrive at the hive quicker than an eighties movie montage even though you are unaware of the term. As soon as you get back, you are beleaguered with questions from Jade who seems to be under a lot of stress herself.

Yes, i g0t everything y0u asked me t0 get. Please calm d0wn Jade.

You watched her slowly turn blue from holding her breath which struck you as odd. Why would a red blood turn blue for any reason? Finally she took another breath; apparently she had held her breath in order to be calm and she was now returning to her natural pinkish tone.

Well good, can you help me set everything up?

Sure

After helping Jade set the table you decide to call it a day and sit on your porch until the event starts. You are having a bit of an episode with your feelings right now and it has been picking you apart for weeks. You are having feelings again for Equius and you want to act on those feelings. At the same time, you feel like you're letting Sollux down and he knows it. You guess it's not so bad because he's okay with it, but still. Your head sinks into your arms and you close your eyes. Maybe Gamzee has the right Idea of just heading for the hills and wait until the whole thing blows over. There is going to be too much tension built up into this silly little party thing. You groan and stamp your foot as the camera zooms out.

**John: Be counterproductive **

You dread the thought. Jade would kill you, most likely several times over. No, you think you will be as productive as possible. Although with Vriska eating half of everything you make, being productive is a long shot. Luckily, you are not the only one cooking; Dave is cooking, hopefully, a lot of good food… maybe. You wrinkle your nose and look down at the pitiful amount of food that Vriska has not devoured. You are about two seconds from banning her from the kitchen, but you know this is a bad idea and will result in some form of retaliation. You can't help but hope she gets full before you get pissed. Suddenly a better idea strikes you and you realize that it is a bit of a stretch but a lot more subtle.

Can you check if Dave is cooking?

She straightens up and gives you this look that makes you doubtful.

Try8ng to get rid of me, huh?

She was smiling, although he wasn't sure if she was on to you or not. Not knowing if she knew or not, she turned and went outside. You sigh silently in relief and continue to cook. If you're lucky, you'll get a few dishes made before she comes back. You look at the time and realize you have another two hours before everything has to go outside. You struggle with yourself briefly and tell yourself that you have enough time for everything (although you probably don't).

**Terezi: What now?**

You refuse to laugh, although a giggle makes itself known. You are going to participate in tonight's little festivities for the sole purpose of having a dance battle with Dave which might not even happen. You really haven't decided to do anything else until then. There is a very fascinating show on about psychotic killers getting caught by the good guys that Karkat told you about and you've hooked ever since. Watching this show is what you have been doing all day, both of you sort of. Every now and then something exciting sounds like it's happening and you call Karkat into the room and he'll expose the bad guy for you.

1 KN3W 1T W4S H1M!

He'd agree with you and continue watch it until commercial and he'd go off and do whatever after that. The only reason Jade didn't ask you to do anything today is because you pretended to be asleep throughout the whole conversation in which she came up with the idea. Sure it irritated her, but it got you out of doing something stupid for a day. Besides, if you could put off partying for a while it might do you some good.

K4RKL3S! TH3Y GOT TH3 WRONG GUY!

NO THEY FUCKING DIDN'T. I SAW IT, IT WAS HIM, IT HAD TO BE. THEY MATCHED THE BLOOD TO HIS SHIRT.

You go quiet for a moment and listen closely. He was right, it was him, and they were just trying to confuse you. Karkat was watching again and soon looked at you, you could feel his stare. He was waiting for you to say it. You smile

JUST1C3 1S S3RV3D!

**Equius: Prevent the explosion!**

What explosion? You look at your leg and scowl, furiously pointing at it, mentally willing it to not explode. You stare at it for a good while before lowering your arm and returning your focus to your work. You have been creating (trying to create) a robotic cat for Nepeta. She has an allergy to the cats around here and you want her to have one because it's sad to see her eyes get all puffy and red when she's around the real ones. Jade didn't ask you to do anything because of your lung condition and figured you were safer playing with explosives rather than running around doing errands.

Earlier today, your most recent model for the robot cat found a way to defy gravity and explode on the ceiling. This was more of a good thing than not because it's supposed to be a surprise. When Nepeta walked in and asked you what it was, pointing out the obvious was the safest way to go and calling the explosion a bomb worked out well. At the moment, you're tinkering with the joint parts, making it more animalistic. It will be a while before this model is complete; you really haven't the faintest idea as to why it hovered. You lean back and make some corrections to the model blueprint when suddenly your leg explodes. Other than flying into a rage, which usually ends in a larger scale explosion, you smile at the blown up bits. You roll your swivel chair to the closet and retrieve another leg and assemble it. You were clever this time around. You made four replicas just in case. Today is a good day.

**Feferi: Practice the oboe!**

What the glub is an oboe? You have to laugh, you've never heard of such a thing! After you are done putting confetti all over the place you will have to ask someone what an oboe is. Until then, you concentrate on layering everything with confetti. This is an easy job, and it is fun, you get to make everything look pretty! Every now and then you'll stop to look at what you've done and you feel proud of yourself, you can't even see the tablecloth under all the glittery confetti you have layed out, it's all very exciting, you can't wait for the party to start!

You wonder what else is going to happen at the party, it has been a really slow day and you hope things get exciting fast. You get to thinking about all the music and the lights and the fun and you forget what you're doing. Soon there's a small mound of confetti that you have to smooth out. You get the job done soon and sit down at the table, waiting for something to happen. In the meantime, Sollux begins working with Jade on the sound system and the lighting. John starts bringing food to the table, Gamzee is bringing drinks, Dave is bringing more food and Jade is setting out plates and cups and stuff. You feel the excitement building up as the table is being filled up with more and more things. Soon, everything will be done, you can hardly wait!

**Karkat: Hurry up and do something!**

You sneer at this, you've been doing something all day! You got put in charge of desserts, which you know so little about, you decided to share the task with Nepeta. All you have to do is make pudding (which closely resembles sopor slime), cookies and jello (which has got to be the oddest thing anyone would want to eat). The whole process to make everything didn't take long, but the waiting for it to get done was just a drag. And then one of the cookies burned…

WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS! I WORK ALL DAY TO MAKE FINE FUKING MORSELS OF HUMAN GARBAGE FOOD FOR THERE TO BE A CHARRED PIECE OF SHIT IN THE KITCHEN!

You hear Terezi snickering at you and you get quiet for a moment. _What the hell is she laughing at?_ You do some more rage antics, such as stomping around, hollering loudly, using extra hurtful words towards the renegade cookie, before you get a great idea. You take the cookie to Terezi and have her eat it. Once she hears it's a cookie, she pops it in her mouth at once; her expression is one that you can't afford to miss. You suffer a few drubbings to the head and arms, but it was worth it, even when she was mad at you, she made you laugh. You sigh as you return to the kitchen, hopefully the stupid party thing starts soon.

**Kanaya: Finish conducting a symphony!**

You shrug and wave your arms frantically as if conducting a symphony. You laugh and finish what you were really doing, which was creating party dresses for you, Rose, and Aradia. You wanted to keep them a secret, but nothing gets past either of them so you just refused to show them what they looked like. You have been working on them for about a week and a half, but you think you have them just right. You only need a few more beads for one of them, maybe another row of ruffles on the other… shoot. You take a step back and look at them. The hardest part of making a dress was to not over do it, which you were worried about doing.

You have to look at them carefully, going over the detail of each one, practically counting every stitch and every seam. They looked great, but there was always that eye of the creator that told a different story. Too much sequins, not enough fabric… she had to look away and accept that they looked perfect; she just had to leave them alone.

**Dave: Wrap it up!**

You flip the burgers casually without so much as a hint of haste. You'll get done when you get done. You figure you might as well wait to wrap it up until either you're good and ready, or until Jade hassles you to finish. The day has been really boring and you haven't gotten a lot done, considering you've been at this cooking thing all day. You would rather be mixing up some sick beats and rhymes. But no. You can't be putting up fights and arguments with the little lady all the time, gotta have some class, some ironic class. Yeah.

So you decide to go ahead and wrap it up. Since there's still time left in the day, you can finish this and go make some music. Soon, everything is all properly cooked (except for those who like their meat undercooked) and you go to put everything out on the tables. As soon as you get inside and hit the stairs, you get pelted with errands and questions and you kind of just lose it. You lose it in the classiest way possible and just continue to your room, ignoring them, all of them, actually it's just Jade, but you ignore her anyway.

And so, with only a few hours remaining until the party, everything is in its place and things are about to get started. Tune in next time for the second half of the end of 'Getting Lost'!

**As an end note…**

**It will probably be another couple days before the next one is done, just letting you know in advance. And if, by chance, I finish that chapter early, it will be yet ANOTHER long wait before I come up with another story. However, I will continue updating my shipping wall [story] with fewer breaks in between because I'm not focusing on this story. Anyway, thanks for making it this far and sticking around, I'll be sure to make my acknowledgement to you all especially nice in the end. Until then!**

**-Mecha Hero**


	17. Credit Roll

**Well, this is it, the final installment of 'Getting lost'. It's been a long time coming, and it's been a fun time getting here, but GOOD RIDANCE! I finally get to move on to something new that I can only hope everyone will like as much or twice as much. I do not own Homestuck, but if I did I'd brag about it.**

The sun began making itself scarce and light faded over the rooftops of the ugly houses. The lights that were strung up around the block were triggered by porch lights and lit up as the sun disappeared from existence. Like a choreographed dance, everyone left their hives and their houses and made their way to the tables. Karkat and Terezi were the first to sit down close to the end of the table…

_Pretend this is a table, and this is how the seating arrangement looks. Just pretend it looks decent._

**Terezi | Karkat | Sollux | Tavros | Gamzee | Equius | Nepeta**

**Dave Kanaya**

**Jade | John | Vriska | Eridan | Feferi | Aradia | Rose**

As soon as everyone had figured out where they were sitting, they began to eat. The jello was especially frowned upon by the trolls; there was just something so awkward about it, possibly the way it moved. Gamzee loved the pudding, as predicted, even more so than sopor slime because it tasted better. As everyone else ate, Jade's eyes darted around in anxiety; even if things seemed to be going okay, there was bound to be something that wasn't right. Soon Sollux got the music going which was quickly commandeered by Dave.

Everything was going well, everyone was talking and laughing and having a good time. Surprisingly enough, a fight hadn't broken out yet. There were a few tense moments, usually between Karkat and Terezi, they were bickering quietly every now and then about how she was talking to Dave or how he was talking to Vriska or laughing at her jokes. Gamzee was being nit-picked by Equius who highly disapproved of his matespritship with Tavros and he was on the verge of putting a hole through the lower-blood for sneering at him. Jade could sense the tension and soon looked over at Sollux again, being her go-to-guy, and hinted that it would be time for the surprise.

He had never been more pleased to be ordered to do something. Anything to get him out of the thickness of the tension that was building. Eridan watched as Sollux got up and sped off towards his hive. _Wwhat are you doin'? _Quickly, he returned to the area with a wagon that had a tarp over it. John beamed as he walked over to him; he was looking forward to this all day. Everyone looked over at them to see what was going on. Jade exhaled finally; hopefully this would calm everyone down. Sollux lifted the tarp from the wagon and revealed the fireworks he had constructed. John tilted his head at them; they were very different from the ones he had ever seen. They were round and came to a point on top.

ii diid what Jade athked. Fiire workth.

Uh…

John looked as puzzled as ever.

Do I light them on fire?

Sollux laughed and shook his head, picking one up

You puth the button.

He turned the bulb over in his hand to show John the button on the bottom then turned it over again. He stood back away from the table and from the John and pushed the button before setting it on the ground. It blinked red three times before shooting streams of pale blue sparks into the air and making a hideous screeching sound that made most shudder. Sollux turned to look at John

That one wath for you.

They smiled and Sollux returned to the table and sat down. Everyone else went over to look for a firework to set off. As Jade passed Sollux she smiled and mouthed a 'thank you' before joining the search. Soon there were fireworks going off everywhere. Karkat enjoyed watching them very much; he made it up in his mind that he would have Sollux build him some at least every week. Tavros like watching the different colored sparks, but the sound of some of them were murderous to his hear flaps. Rose was making Kanaya very nervous as she ran through the shower of sparks, they were probably very hot and she was hoping one would actually land on her, but Rose was having a ball.

They were all gone too fast and everyone was in a daze or wonder. Suddenly a water balloon came flying through the air and crashing into Equius' face. Somehow, the wagon that carried the fireworks had been hastily replaced by a wheelbarrow of water balloons. Eridan hid quickly behind Nepeta who moved out of the way and let Equius have a clear shot with a water balloon. Very soon it was an all out war, one of which Kanaya and Karkat refused to a part of. Karkat didn't want to get wet or be in danger of having something hit him in the face, Kanaya just didn't want to play, it didn't seem fun at all.

Eventually things slowed down. Everyone involved in the battle was soaked and laughing about it. Looking around, it was a complete mess; the table was over turned as a makeshift fort, food was everywhere, shreds of balloons, firework scraps, everywhere. Jade was finally happy, she was sure everyone was happy and would be talking about this for weeks. The clean up didn't take long, and for some reason, everyone was getting along nicely for that short time. Everyone retreated to their hives and called it a night.

Once inside and settled down, all the lights in all of the hives were extinguished and the ugly little neighborhood was at rest. Equius stood in Nepeta's doorway and smiled at her as she talked volumes about the party and how much fun she had. She had her hat next to her on her bed and her jacket hung up. Her room was cozy, well lit and relatively small, but she was happy with it.

I have nefur had so much fun in my life!

Equius nodded silently, he was happy that she was happy but he still had a big surprise for her. He left the doorway and she froze, brush midway through her hair.

Equius?

She heard him rummaging around in his room, metal falling against metal and crashing on the ground. She tried looking around the corner while sitting on her bed, putting the brush down to her side. Equius returned to her room, standing just off to the side. Nepeta raised an eyebrow at him, but her attention quickly shot towards movement in her doorway. A small metal cat stepped into her room, making sounds almost like purring. She covered her mouth in shock as it hopped onto her bed. She reached out to pet it and it purred into her hand. She could have cried, she was so happy. It had bright green eyes, much like the numbers on an alarm clock, but had no other facial features except for the ears. It was sleek and black and moved much like a real cat except probably weighed close to the weight of 5 cats. She leaped up and gave Equius the biggest hug she could give without hurting herself. Neither of them had to say anything. They both knew they loved each other dearly and would be close forever as moirails.

There were a few more nights like that for years to come, but none as memorable as that one. As the camera zooms out from the neighborhood of ugly hives a lone troll makes his way to the porch before sunrise and the stars blur with the approaching day.

**I'd like to thank everyone who has made it a point to stick around and review on every chapter. Please forgive my prolonged update, it has take every fiber of my being to actually finish this story. Thank you for motivating me and keeping me on my toes with each challenge you give me. Thank you to the anonymous reviewers, and thank you to the countless readers; you made me want to write, even if I was going nowhere with it.**

**The next time I write, I will be collaborating with a very special group of what I'd like to call chums :) As I progress in the story I will be giving credit where credit is due. I ask, however, that you do not expect to hear from me anytime soon. Not only am I dropping off the face of the earth, I will not be found on any of the four screens. I am making myself scarce and living out the dream of being a hermit.**

**Until the day I return and write once more, it was a pleasure creating a distraction for you. I bid you farewell, but not good bye.**

**-Mecha hero**


	18. upd8

Ladies and gentlemen~

I interrupt this elongated hiatus to bring you good news!

I know I have been away awhile and if anyone out there is reading this, I am extremely proud that you have been hanging in ther for so long

Ahem, let me get to the point then

Right

So

I am in the making of a new Homestuck AU

Right

It has sever trigger warnings, be warned

Let me explain

It's called 'Everyone's got a vice'

It has to do with my head canons of everyone's bad habits, vices, disturbing addictions, etc. like I said, TRIGGER WARNINGS. It includes things such as bulimia, bdsm, cutting, schizophrenia, drug addictions, murder, theft, etc.

If you are interested in it, I will be updating the first chapter soon. The way it is written, there are 2-3 people per chapter and it goes into minimal description of their situations. The next chapter will have other people, but eventually the story will get back whomever.

It's going to be fairly realistic and in this AU, everyone is human and Earth is the location. I will be using real facts and information based off of true examples of these situations so again; TRIGGER FUCKING WARNING

Thanks for stickin with me if you are still out there!

Hugs and well wishes

-MH


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